Lost in Memory
by Cepheus Noir
Summary: One summer night, an 8 year old Luna finds a strange boy near her home. He doesn't remember anything except his name: Albus. AU Accidental Time-Travel First in Memoryverse. Rated T for certain themes. A pre-Hogwarts Fic
1. A Boy in Need

After a long day of work, Evanna Lovegood finally allowed herself to relax. Experimenting with potions was a serious business, and one mistake could result in a fatal explosion. She glanced over to the calendar, finding it was July 25, 1989. 'Only four more days 'till Xeno gets back from Algeria' she thought. 'It's a good thing the Quibbler is popular, at least outside of Britain; otherwise I think we couldn't afford all these expeditions.' She began to put away all supplies, carefully but quickly. Remembering that Luna was still outside, she went for the door to call her daughter in for the night.

Sure enough, there was Luna, blonde hair flowing, scampering up the path like a young snortkack. Yet something seemed off about the girl's pace. It was too urgent and almost frightened. Luna was very hard to scare, so whatever put the girl in such a state must have been terrifying. The girl came to her mother in tears.

"Luna? Is something wrong?" she cooed, hoping her daughter would calm down.

"Oh mummy! The Blibbering Humdingers told me to go to the pond near the Weasleys," the girl said sobbing. "So I followed them there and… and…"

"And?" she nudged.

"And, there was a boy there, covered in blood, and screaming!" She cried, burying her face in her mother's legs. Evanna's face went pale at the thought of an injured child. She quickly lowered herself to look her daughter in the eyes.

"Luna…show me exactly where he was." The girl nodded and began running down the path, indicating that her mother should follow. She kept a brisk pace, following her daughter as she manoeuvred through the tall grasses. As she got closer to the pond, her heart began to quicken. Luna veered off the path towards a spot right by the pond's edge. In the fading light, she saw a dark mass, barely moving, and clearly in pain. She held her heart as she approached her daughter and the unknown child. As she got closer, the mass became a young boy, no more than ten years of age. His face was contorted in agony, his black hair completely disarrayed, blood all over his clothes, and breathing raggedly.

Without a moment's notice, she quickly scooped the child up into her arms, making sure that she did not cause him any more pain. The boy faintly moaned, and Evanna steadied herself.

"Will he be okay?" asked Luna, fear filling her words.

"He will live, Luna. I will make sure of it," she said, resilience in her voice. The little girl's face filled with hope, letting Evanna mentally sigh at such a sight.

"Come. We need to get inside quickly, he still needs help, and you need sleep." Evanna made her way back to the house, an injured boy in her arms and her daughter in tow.

OoOoOoO

Glass cracking, a flurry of experiences, screaming, an explosion, and then darkness. These terrifying experiences were all the boy could remember. Had he died? He thought he heard some voices, but by now, even those had faded. As his thoughts grew more lucid, he began opening his eyes to figure out where he was.

All around him were bright coloured objects, books and bottles. Near the window, he noticed a woman sitting down, head down on a table, using her arms as a pillow. She was petit, with blond wavy hair, and her brow creased as if she was worrying. 'Who is she?' he thought, moving to get a closer look. Suddenly his side erupted in pain, causing him to yelp. The sleeping woman was no longer asleep, and lifted her head to catch him in the act with her distant hazel eyes.

'Just like James'' he thought. 'Wait,' he caught himself, 'who's James?' he pondered.

"Easy there," she said, getting up out of her chair. She moved to grab a bottle and sat down on the bed.

"Here, drink up dear. Your head must be hurting." He nodded and allowed her to administer the potion quickly.

"Yeugh!" he said when the aftertaste took effect. She smiled at his reaction. "Where am I?" he asked, curiosity piqued.

"You're safe, and that's what matters," she replied. "But if you must know, this house is near Ottery St. Catchpole in Devon."

"Ottery St. Catchpore?" he said, struggling with the l.

"Yes, I hope that's not too far from home," she chuckled, hoping he remained calm.

"I've never heard of a place like that," he stated bluntly. "It must be very far away, 'cause that's the funniest name I've ever heard!"

"Oh?" she replied, cocking an eyebrow, "then where are you from?"

"Umm…" he hesitated, biting his lip. "I-I don't know." The witch's brow creased again, wondering what the boy meant.

"You don't know?"

"Nope."

"Do you know who your parents are?" she continued.

"I…can't…remember," he mumbled.

"Do you know your name?" she questioned, unsure of what to do with the boy.

In his mind, he saw another boy wide eyed in fear calling out to him.

'ALBUS!' he screamed as an earth shattering expression tore apart his vision, bringing the room back into focus. The woman looked very worried by now, so he decided to speak up.

"Albus," he declared, confident in that fact. "My name is Albus." Her worry evaporated into relief, and she gave him a slight smile.

"My name's Evanna Lovegood and it's a pleasure to meet you Albus," she said brightly.

"Is it breakfast yet?" he asked, rubbing his belly with hope in his eyes.

"It's barely dawn now," she said, pointing at the window. His face fell momentarily, "but if you're that hungry, I'll cook some eggs right now," she finished. That seemed to satisfy him, and so she slipped out of the room. "Be back in a few with breakfast," she called over her shoulder before closing the door.

Once out of the room, she sighed in relief, knowing the boy, Albus, was going to be okay. Yet there remained a few questions. Who was he? Where did he come from?

Whoever he was, Evanna Lovegood would find the truth.

**A.N- Hello everyone, so I've read several other fics that will generally use Evanna for Luna's mom, so I'm continuing the trend**

**Any questions, comments?**

**Reviews are always welcome**


	2. More Questions than Answers

Luna was a light sleeper. So naturally, when she heard her mother making breakfast, her eyelids flew wide open. Glancing around her room, she noticed the light was still low, and the window showed the sky was dark. 'Why is mum up this early?' she wondered. Then it all came back to her.

The boy!

Was he okay? Who was he? What was he doing here? The flurry of questions got her out of bed and out of her room. Once in the hall, she began opening random doors, in the hope of finding the mysterious boy.

Sure enough, after four or five doors, the door she opened revealed a confused, raven-haired child staring back at her.

"Um, hello?" he offered softly.

"Hi," she returned, relieved. "You look much better today. Yesterday I thought the thestrals would take you away, and that would sad." He looked absolutely confused.

"Huh?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Luna. Do you have a name?" The boy smiled.

"I'm Albus! At least that's what James told me," he announced plainly.

"Who's James?"

"I have no idea."

"It's okay, the river Lethe does that to people."

"WHAT?" he cried, eyes boggling out of their sockets.

"The river Lethe. It must end in our pond… Oh well, no more swimming for me!" A hearty laugh cut through the air.

"Luna, you're scaring him. Good use of logic, but no, the River Lethe doesn't end in our pond," said the elder woman, carrying in a plate of eggs. The girl smiled sheepishly, before responding.

"Sorry, but if Crumple-Horned Snorkacks exist, then anything goes, right mummy?" she reasoned.

"What are Crumple-Horned Snorkacks?" asked Albus, still bewildered. The resulting conversation involved Luna explaining, and showing Albus proof of their existence through bones, images and eggs.

"So you're telling me these things used to live all around the Arctic Circle but are nearly extinct." The girl nodded. "And they can only be found in Sweden." Again a nod. Albus glanced back to Evanna, who looked amused, but sincere.

"My husband believes there are a few in Sweden, but he hasn't had time to launch an expedition, with all the other articles and issues he has to deal with."

"Articles?" asked the boy. "Like a newspaper?"

"Ya! Daddy writes all sorts of articles! Animals and plants, different countries, cool magic, and other stuff!" replied Luna. Her mother gave her a look, and her face fell. "Oh, I'm sorry, I can't be telling you all this." The boy's interest piqued.

"What do you mean 'I can't tell you this'?" he asked, slightly hurt.

"We don't know if you're a muggle or not," responded Evanna calmly.

_Muggle. Plain Birth. No Magic,_ thought Albus. 'James used to use that word,' he thought. 'Wait, I'm not a muggle. I think.' His face became defiant.

"I'm not a muggle, I can do magic!" he spat with conviction.

"Prove it," replied Luna innocently. He looked at the eggs Evanna still held in her hand. 'I don't really want eggs,' he announced mentally. 'I want...breakfast like James.' After staring at the tray for a few seconds, it quickly changed from a plate of eggs into a bowl of rice and plums. Evanna was so shocked she nearly dropped the platter. Luna on the other hand was smiling profusely.

"YOU'RE A WIZARD!" cried the girl with glee. "MUM HE'S A WI-"

"Yes Luna. I heard. Well, I guess you want your breakfast don't ya?" said Evanna, full of mirth.

"Yes please," he said softly. She then handed Albus the tray, which he quickly took. His eyes, gleaming, he dug into the rice quickly. Luna was fascinated by Albus' food, and quickly asked to try some. As Evanna left the two to their own devices, she was content she now knew a few things. Albus was a wizard, he liked rice and pickled plums, and had lost his memory. 'At least the fact he's magic narrows down the search,' she thought, relieved as she heard laughter emanating from the room she just left.

OoOoOoOoO

Over the next few days, Albus' condition improved dramatically. By the end of the first day, Evanna caught him walking around the room as Luna showed him its contents. By the third day, he was out chasing Luna through the fields without a care in the world. Yet something still bothered her. She had no idea about Albus' family, much less where to find them. Asking the Weasleys had not yielded any results, and according to Arthur, there was no news of a missing child at the ministry.

Yet now was not the time for such worrying, especially if she would start working on her experiments again. Just as Evanna began to get up, a man materialised in front of her, nearly knocking her over. It took her a second to recover, but the man had already embraced his wife in a tender hug.

"Well, I sure wasn't expecting to have you waiting for me to arrive," he said playfully.

"Prat! You gave me fright, Xeno," she said, feigning anger as she gave him a punch.

"I tend to do that," he said giving her a wry smile.

"How was Algeria?" she asked, but before he could answer, two children ran in through the door, huffing excitedly.

"I won!" declared Albus.

"You did not! The blibbering humdingers distracted me!" retorted Luna. Albus stuck his tongue out jokingly.

"My, my, who's this?" asked Xeno. The boy straightened up, and schooled his features.

"My name is Albus, sir" he replied with a slight bow. Xeno gave him a dreamy smile.

"Albus," he started, eyes twinkling, "you need not be so formal. My name is Xenophilius Lovegood, but please call me Xeno."

"Yes Mr. Xeno-"

"No, just Xeno," he corrected.

"Yes Xeno."

"There's food in the kitchen," said Evanna, addressing the children. "You should get it while it's hot." They went off to the kitchen whispering things amongst themselves. Evanna then turned back to her husband, who gave her a 'who-the-heck-is-he?' look.

"As you know his name's Albus. We don't know any more than that. Luna found him less than a week ago, bloody and injured near the Weasleys place."

"Did they have something to do with this?" he demanded, his brow creased.

"Dear Merlin, No! When I asked them about Albus, Molly didn't have a clue who the boy was, and nearly had a stroke when I told her we found him half-dead."

"Fair enough. You know the Lovegood motto," he said proudly. She sighed.

"Never take anything for face value."

"Exactly! So we know nothing about him…"

"Other than the fact he's magical, and he likes rice with pickled plums," she finished.

"Isn't that a Japanese thing?" he asked skeptically.

"You're the expert in that field," she accused.

"Fair point. So he has no memory, and no one has complained in the wizarding world about a missing child…he could be muggleborn."

"He knew what the word 'muggle' meant and proceeded to prove that he was a wizard by using intentional magic," she deadpanned, having already tried that route.

"Maybe he's Harry Potter," he joked, earning an incredulous look from his wife. "Okay, okay. But it would make an excellent conspiracy story for _the Quibbler_."

"You know very well that the Quibbler is a political and cultural journal criticizing the ministry, or are the blibbering humdingers attacking your brain too?" she drawled. His face lost its playfulness with those words.

"Sheesh woman, any louder and Dumbledore himself would come and take me to Azkaban. I was suggesting for one of the stories for the encoded version." Evanna glared daggers at her husband for his comments.

His gaze softened into a faint smile. "I'm sorry love, but you know how dangerous it is to mention that sort of thing so publicly." She sighed, and put her hands up, admitting defeat.

"Fine, just making sure you're still in there and not up in the clouds," she replied with a smirk. "So, what are we going to do about Albus?" His face became pensive as he rubbed his chin. He remained that way for several moments. "Perhaps the goblins?" she offered. The idea lit his face right up.

"Gringotts." He stated. "The goblins, as much as I don't like them, can find out who anyone is, and all the associated information. You're brilliant love!"

"So tomorrow looks like a visit to Diagon Alley," she mused. "Oh well, we needed to do it anyway. I can't rely on Weasley hand me downs to permanently clothe the boy." Xeno chuckled and Evanna smiled. Just then, they heard voices carrying from the kitchen.

"Why, would you eat that?" asked Albus.

"Because I can," responded Luna coolly. They both heard Albus gag in shock.

"Maybe we should join them, before it gets even more bizarre," offered Evanna.

"Evie, this is the Lovegood house. Everything is bizarre." Now it was Evanna's turn to laugh as they entered the kitchen together, expecting to find the unexpected.


	3. The Golden Hourglass

The following morning came full of anticipation. Albus and Luna woke at the crack of dawn, and by the time Xeno found them, they were engrossed in a random copy of the quibbler.

"See, that's the code," pointed Luna.

"So the numbers at the top aren't just random?"

"No, they're the words you highlight with magic to undo the code. Like this." She grabbed a device off a nearby shelf and began highlighting. "See 7, 44, 193, and 619 are I, am, the, walrus." As she tapped the words, the letters on the page shifted, revealing an entirely new article.

"Oh, I see," said Albus softly. "Instead of an article on the evolution of flying walruses, it's about the latest anti-muggleborn legislation and its impacts to all levels of society," he recited, having read the last part directly off the paper.

"Remember, that only works because you know most of the encryptions darling." The two kids looked over to Xeno who was already picking up the paper and returning it to its shelf. "Albus, do you remember ever going to Diagon Alley? Or any part of magical London for that matter?" The boy straightened slightly.

"No Xeno, sir. It must be locked away with the rest of my memories," he responded, tapping on his head for emphasis. "One step at a time," sighed the elder man. At least he was not calling him Mr. Lovegood anymore.

"You'll enjoy it. It's truly fantastic, especially since they got rid of the wicker man in front of Fortescue's," declared Luna happily. Evanna distant voice retorted an unintelligible remark.

"What did you say, love?" called Xeno. She walked into the room a moment later.

"I was just telling Luna that the 'wicker man' she mentioned was a statue." Luna looked at her mother for a second, cocking an eyebrow.

"So King Edward V wasn't a wicker man?"

"I think he's glad he wasn't a wicker man," noted Albus casually. "If what you said about wicker men the other day was true, I sure wouldn't want to be burned!" Laughter filled the air as the Lovegoods and their temporary ward enjoyed their morning, got ready, and went straight to Diagon Alley.

OoOoOoO

Albus was amazed by everything he saw. From the Floo, to the Leaky Cauldron, and every little detail that Luna pointed out. Evanna was happy to see that Albus' eyes sparkled brighter than a kid on Yule morn, and did not seem to care who caught him. Glancing back to her husband, she noticed an anxious gaze in his eyes.

"Don't worry," she whispered, giving Xeno a smile.

"I know, but goblins can be sneaky, and you never know what might come up."

"Well, let's hope for the best," she said brightly as Albus and Luna raced up the steps of Gringotts.

"Ha! I beat you!" declared Luna proudly to a huffing Albus.

"No...fair..." he panted. Luna shrugged and waited for her parents to catch up. The past few days spent with Albus were quite eventful. She had always been a bit envious of her friend Ginny with her army of brothers who were there for her. So when Albus came along, she felt happy she could have a 'brother' all to herself. "I demand a rematch," he announced, breaking her train of thought.

"But we're already at the top of the stairs," she reasoned.

Before Albus could think of a comeback, Xeno and Evanna caught up with the excited children.

"Now remember you two," began Xeno.

"Respect and proper conduct within the bank," finished Evanna. Luna nodded and adjusted. Albus unsure of what to do copied Luna. Xeno held back laughter as she nudged the boy in the right direction. With everyone steeling themselves, the group of four made their way into the bank, to the nearest teller. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Albus trying to keep himself from gawking at the colossal lobby full of wizards and goblins alike. She also noticed a few wizards whispering amongst themselves, giving the group a few odd looks, but decided to ignore it. Approaching the nearest teller, Xeno took out the Lovegood signet ring and placed it on the counter. The goblin barely lifted his head, but his eyes did widen a fraction at the sight of the signet ring.

"Lord Lovegood, what may I do for you today?" asked the goblin, no emotion on his face. Albus whispered to Luna, asking about absolutely everything.

"Just stay quiet and listen to everything," replied Luna, causing Albus to sober up. Xeno calmly looked back up to the goblin.

"I would like to know if my account manager Gornuk is available at this moment." He was worried they had kicked a hornet's nest by finding Albus, and it showed on his face. Fortunately, Evanna noticed and held his hand for reassurance. The goblin disappeared only for a moment, but it was enough to get Albus muttering again. Evanna and Xeno gave up trying to keep him quiet and decided to focus on the goblin and his information.

"The meeting that was booked will be able to proceed. Please follow me." The goblin stood up and made his way across the lobby to a door at the far side. The group of four moved along quietly, following the goblin as quickly as possible. Once out of the main hall, the corridors diverged in all directions, some down to the mine carts and banks vaults, others to the residences of the goblins. The particular goblin went up to the private meeting rooms of the bank. Albus tried his best not to gawk, and glancing at the others, attempting to mirror their stance with some success. He noticed Evanna and Xeno were muttering, and Luna was in that distant place she would drift off to occasionally. Soon enough they came to a stone door with a simple label:

_Quasi and Pseudo Legal Financial Policies, Ceremonies, and Rituals _

The name meant absolutely nothing to Albus but to his caretakers, it was a moment of truth. Blood identification rituals were commonplace amongst the goblins Gringotts, but it was only done in extreme circumstances for wizarding families. Finding a bleeding child with no identity near your home certainly warranted as an extreme circumstance. The goblin ushered the group through the stone door, and promptly exited. Evanna took the initiative and began the dialogue.

"Hello Gornuk," she softly stated. "May your enemies suffer, may your gold flow free, and may your fortunes ever prosper." Her husband follow suit, as did Luna. Albus quickly realised he was supposed to repeat the phrase, and tried to copy. Unfortunately, it did not go as planned.

"Hello Gornuk, sir. May your gold suffer, May your enemies flow free, and may your fortunes ever prosper!" The adults in the room froze. If his blunder was taken as an insult, the meeting would be compromised, and Xeno might be dealing with hostile bankers for time and all eternity. Gornuk, who had sat at the desk waiting for the formalities to finish, gave the boy an odd stare, making made him quite uncomfortable. Unexpectedly, the goblin cracked a toothy smile, and a low rumbling laughter escaped his lips. The entire group was quite confused. Gornuk, catching his breath, began explaining.

"Boy, if I hadn't dealt with Sirius Black himself, I would have been downright insulted. Seeing as you're not even half the clown he was, I'll let it slide this once." A collective sigh came from the humans in the room. "For the record, it doesn't sound like English is your native tongue. So what is it? Korean?" The boy gave a blank stare. "Chagatai?" No response. "Tagalog?" More confusion appeared on Albus' face. At this point Xeno Lovegood took the opportunity to present his situation.

"Gornuk." The goblin's eyes snapped up to the older man full of curiosity regarding the child. "The boy is the crux of the matter today. A few days ago, my wife," gesturing over to the woman seated to his left, "found the child near our home, grievously injured. My wife nursed him back to health." The goblin raised his brow at that remark. "In her defense, St. Mungo's would have been risky if he turned out to not have magic," counter Xeno.

"Get to the point, Lovegood." Gornuk seemed to be losing his patience, and it showed in his face and his voice. "If this has to do with your finances or legal work in anyway, make it clear now." The man steeled himself and continued the story.

"In the days since his recovery, he has explicitly stated that he has no recollection of who he is, or who his parents are."

"So you want me to do a test of identity then," concluded the goblin, a slight glint in his eyes.

"Exactly. For all we know the boy could be the lovechild of Sirius Black!"

"Xeno love," chastised the man's wife. "You know better than throw around accusations."

"Especially around goblins," added Gornuk, with a strained smile on his face. The man cast his gaze from the Goblin back to his wife and softly murmured an apology. At this point, both of the children in the room began softly giggling at the absurdity of the situation, making Xeno flush bright red with embarrassment. Evanna quickly took over the delegation to finish the matter at hand.

"We know that the goblins normally do not perform the test of identity unless an extreme situation demands it, but this is dire. The boy has already been harmed, which means he likely has enemies. He could be scion of a wealthy family. If they manage to find him who knows what they could do. They could possibly eradicate a wealthy family!" Her resolve had moved Gornuk, but it was the infinitesimally small possibility of losing wealth that incited the goblin to action. He quickly conjured a blank piece of paper and laid it out on the desk.

"Come here boy," he said, gesturing toward the dark haired child. Albus advanced hesitantly, heart beating out of his chest, eyes wide with fear.

"Oh there's no need to be scared of me boy. After all, we don't want you ending up like Xeno over there all terrified of goblins for no good reason." That last remark brought mirth to the goblin's eyes and much bemusement to Xenophilius. However, it allowed Albus to calm himself down enough to listen to what the banker had to say.

"Now, the procedure is quite simple. You will take this knife," drawing a short silver dagger out from under the table as he spoke, "and you will slash it across the palm of your left hand. Once the blood is flowing, let it flow on to the paper. The rest will be handled by the magic. Are we clear?" Albus gave the goblin a skeptical glance and nearly asked him 'why'. However, he knew it was wiser to hold his tongue here and simply do as he was told. He slowly reached for the knife in the goblin's outstretched hand, and took it in his own. It was light in his hand, and almost glowed iridescently in the light. The boy then steeled himself and with the dagger in his right hand, he made a quick slash across the palm of his left. Sure enough, the drops of scarlet blood poured onto the paper, cause an instant reaction. For a few seconds it flash a myriad of colours, captivating both Albus and Luna, who was peeking over Albus' shoulder to get a better view. Slowly, the colours slowly took form on the paper, and when the magic had finished there was only a large golden hourglass on the paper.

"Is that supposed to happen?" asked Luna quite bluntly. Albus turned to the goblin, expecting a response but only saw the diminutive banker's eyes go as wide as saucers, and nearly let his jaw drop to the floor.

"This was unexpected, but procedure still stands," he said, barely collecting himself. "I will need to take this for consultation for a few minutes." At this, he reached for the paper, and quickly made his way out the door. Xeno breathed a sigh of relief, earning a glare from his wife.

"What?" he asked.

"You need to get your fear under control. You almost botched the meeting quite a few times."

"Yes dear," he sighed. Their attention quickly shifted as Luna spoke up.

"It seemed as though wrackspurts started bothering him. Can goblins be bothered by wrackspurts?" asked the curious girl. Albus seemed just as confused and sure enough, he and Luna were trading questions for several minutes. The minutes dragged on and eventually an uncomfortable anticipation settled on the four. After a couple of hours, Gornuk walked back into the room, almost haggard looking. Clearing his throat, he began speaking, his voice hoarse.

"Given the circumstances of the boy's identity, there are only two things I'm allowed to reveal to you," he announced, slowly making his way back to the desk. The humans in the room leaned in, eager to finally have answers. Gornuk, slow and strained, made his way to the plush chair behind the desk he had vacated earlier. Upon reaching the seat, he laid the parchment in his hand on the desk. It was relatively blank, only containing two oddly spaced lines of text and a house crest placed off-centre on the page. "The first piece of information I am permitted to give you is his age. He is 9 years old," he said, pointing at the first line. However, it was the house crest which brought the pregnant silence to a close with acute gasps from the adults in the room.

Shaped in the Medieval French Style, the escutcheon of the crest held three corbie sable, facing Dexter, on an argent field. Above it stood an azure chevron dividing it from the upper field, gules with estoiles azure and an arm embowed, sword raised. The helm was that of a skull, and the Motto proudly declared "_Toujours Pur." _The Second line of text simply sealed what the crest declared.

"The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black," announced the goblin flatly. "The boy is a scion of this line." Albus looked down at the paper, glanced back to the Lovegood couple, and saw terror in their eyes. His face clouded with confusion as Evanna began to speak.

"S-so the suggestion that Sirius Black is his father was a true statement?" she asked, eyes wide with terror. The goblin brought his clawed hand up to his face and pinched the bridge of his nose, face grave.

"It would appear so."

At that moment, Gornuk would have expected disgust or revulsion to cross the face of the couple. The reaction he saw was truly unexpected to say the least. The two adults pulled the boy into a tight hug, adding to the boy's bewilderment.

"So...is that a bad thing?" asked the boy hesitantly. It was the girl with the far away gaze who answered his question.

"Sirius Black is in prison." Blunt, calm, without a hint of waver in her voice. Her eyes were turned to a horizon even the goblin could not see. Her parents turned to look at her, stunned. "According to the prophet, he turned his back on those he loved, and they died. Except for the boy with the lightning scar. Then he lashed out at a rat, and the fireball consumed all in its wake. The aftermath was simply twelve dead, a finger of the rat, and a man in Azkaban." Her eyes refocused on the present and she looked at the boy skeptically. "So can we keep him? Mum? Dad?"

Albus, who was mulling over the cryptic words coming from his friend, was thrown off guard by the last statement. Her parents on the other hand, though surprised at their daughter's unusual moment of mysticism, seemed receptive to her words.

"Gornuk, could you prepare an adoption potion," asked Xeno, eyes turning to address their host. The goblin gave a curt nod, before calling aloud in his native tongue. As soon as the call finished, two younger ones came through the door, replying in the same language. The short dialogue flew over all human heads in the room, but the younger goblins bowed to their superior in understanding, and hastily departed the room.

"Albus," said Evanna softly, "I know you have not known us very long, but we all think you should be part of our family."

"From the sounds of it, anyone who finds out who you truly are will be a threat to your safety," Xeno said, glancing down to him. "We want you to be safe from those who wish to harm you."

"Did I forget to mention that Arcturus Black does not know of the boy's existence?" said Gornuk offhandedly. The tension in the Lovegoods' evaporated at the utterance of that simple fact. While this was happening, Albus contemplated everything he had heard. 'Son of a criminal? A family that could be dangerous? One that I don't remember?' His thoughts then turned to what Xeno and Evanna told him. They wanted to adopt him. A week ago, they did not even know he existed! It reminded him of James, and he knew James was family, even if he did not remember much else.

"Well," he began, noting a slight drop on Luna's face, "I don't remember anything except for the last week of my life. In that week you've all treated me like family and family stays together." The elder Lovegoods flashed smiles of happiness, and Luna had a complete turnabout of demeanour. Just as the boy was agreeing to the proposition, the younger assistants re-entered the room, carrying a bowl of translucent amber liquid. They quickly left it on the desk and exited the meeting room. The humans in the room turned their attention back to Gornuk who began directing the procedure.

"First things first; young one take the knife again," he said, handing Albus the dagger. Albus began to go through the motion of slashing his palm, but a quick gesture from the goblin, indicating that he made an error. "Boy, I don't need that much blood! Just a prick to the finger will suffice." So he did what the goblin instructed, allowing a few drops of blood to pour into the potion, causing it to darken. "Good. Now hand the knife to your adoptive mother," Gornuk said, calm having finally returned to his voice. Albus did as he was told, and Evanna took it from her 'son's' outstretched hand. She repeated the procedure before handing the knife to her husband. He was hesitant, but continued the process, as per the goblin's instructions. The potion was now a rich ochre colour, and Gornuk began chanting hushed tones in a language that no one but the goblin understood. An ethereal glow filled the basin and the potion became clear as crystal. At this point, Gornuk beckoned Albus forward. He was no longer hesitant, and approached as instructed.

"Drink up."

Albus was past the point of questioning, even if he was unsure of what exactly was going on. So he tipped his head back and drank the potion out of the bowl, careful not to let any drops fall out. The liquid quickly seared his insides, and he almost dropped the bowl. It took all his effort to stand straight, so he grabbed the nearest hand to keep from keeling over. After what felt like ages, though was probably less than a minute, the pain ebbed away. He opened his eyes cautiously, not realising he had shut them and caught his reflection in the upturned bowl on the desk. He did not appear very different, other than a slight increase of height and a slight change of complexion. The most startling difference was his hair. No longer was it a messy mop of black, but straight, thick, and a shade closer to burnt coffee with hints of chestnut, with the exception of one band of gold through his bangs. Seeing the changes, he took a step back surprised at what he saw.

"So he simply got a haircut?" asked Luna jokingly. Albus spun around, surprised at Luna's comment but smiled when he felt Luna barrel into him, embracing him happily. His 'parents' quickly joined, and Albus beamed as though he were the luckiest child on earth. Unfortunately, the tender moment was hastened by the coughing sound Gornuk made, drawing their attention back to the matters at hand. After some haggling over payment, some signing of papers, and some choices of naming, a boy once simply known as Albus came out of Gringotts as Albus Eamon Lovegood, 'born' July 31st of 1980, son and scion of the Lovegood family.

As they exited the massive bank, Albus was surprised at the amount of time it took to complete all the paper work. Dusk was beginning to descend and most stores seemed to finishing their daily business.

"Well that was a very interesting," proclaimed Xeno. Albus looked up to his 'father' and couldn't help but agree. He had heard many things today, some of which were not so pleasant. Noticing this, Evanna quickly bent down and looked him in the eye.

"I know there's a lot to process, but remember you have us as well. Like you said, family sticks together." Hearing his own words repeated back to him, the boy blushed and smiled sheepishly before giving her a brief hug.

"Since the gloves are off, I'm starving!" declared an impatient little girl behind her. She heard Xeno laughing at his daughter's bluntness.

"Since I'm guessing you're not the only one amongst us feeling that way, I think we should go find a restaurant that's still open," he reasoned cheerfully.

"But the only restaurants still open are muggle," countered his wife.

"Then, who are we to complain of our selection," he retorted wittily. "To Charing Cross we go!" With that, the new family made happily made their way to the Leaky Cauldron and the world beyond in the fading daylight of the eventful day.

OoOoOoOoO

"That is definitely something no one planned for," stated Griphook bluntly, taking a swig of Grog from the glass. The story of the Lovegood boy had spread amongst the goblins like wildfire, and Gornuk was clearly unsettled by the experience. Griphook had not expected the other goblin would be at his residence drowning his sorrows, especially at this hour when his wife and children were still up.

"There hasn't been an accidental time traveller in centuries! I mean the bank has protocols for intentionals, but this is clearly not intentional!" he bemoaned, taking his own glass and downing the contents in one sip.

"Now, you know that's not true," replied Griphook. "You know there are protocols for these incidents. We know we cannot reveal his true identity before his fourteenth birthday, for one."

"Yes, I know. I know," snapped Gornuk. "But it had to be a Potter!" That last remark earned him a smack from the elder goblin.

"Be quiet! Do you want every goblin that works up top to know?" hissed Griphook. "You did what was asked. Reveal only minor details in regards to his ancestry and lead the humans to make their own assumptions."

"Well, one thing's certain," whispered Gornuk.

"And what's that?" asked Griphook, eyebrows raised and interest piqued.

"Whatever agenda Dumbledore, the ex-Death Eaters, or the Moderates have, they better throw their plans out the bleeding window. Whenever there's time travellers, there's bound to be hell unleashed." Griphook nodded silently as the two goblins both took a drink in the bowels of the cavern city of Gringotts.


	4. Seeing Red

A.N. Harry Potter and co. are the property of one J.K. Rowling. Although my last name has occasionally been confused for hers, I am not her in any shape or form. There for I do not own any of the work mentioned above

ENJOY!

**Seeing Red**

When Molly Weasley first heard that her neighbor had saved a young boy's life, she did not know what to think. The condition he was in according to Evanna made her heart stop, and she had to hug the nearest person, which happened to be her youngest son Ron, in order to keep herself from losing her temper in front of the other woman. That evening certainly hadn't been any better when she'd asked her husband about it. She had not wasted any time as the second Arthur Weasley stepped through the floo she'd rushed to question him.

"Is there any news of missing children at the ministry?" she questioned, tension clearly straining across her features. Arthur was caught completely off guard, threw her a look of bafflement at his sudden interrogation. After a few moments, he managed to choke out an answer.

"W-where did that come from?"

"Evanna Lovegood was here earlier today, and you wouldn't believe what she told me," said Molly, clearly losing grip on her temper. Arthur, already looking worn and haggard from a day that was too long for such low pay, sighed in defeat as he braced himself for his wife's latest fit.

"What did she say?" asked the red haired man indulgently.

"She found a young boy, Ron's age, near the Pond south of Knott's Wood. He-" she faltered momentarily, "He was covered in blood. He was half dead, Arthur!" she exclaimed, her control having gone out the window. She saw him go pale as a sheet, nearly tripping over a nearby chair. In her mind, she was grateful that Bill had taken everyone else down to the river and didn't have to see their parents in such a distraught state.

"Is…is the boy alright?" asked Arthur hesitantly.

"Now he is," she replied. At those words he breathed a sigh of relief. "But it took Evanna most of that first night to stabilize him. I don't know if I'd have been in a state to anything like that." Her voice was still shaky and she was clearly trembling, even though the she had received the news hours ago. Arthur took the cue to embrace his wife, and she welcomed it.

"I'll look around…see what I can find," he whispered, hoping it would calm her down. "I can't do anything that will draw peoples' suspicions. Especially Dumbledore's." This made her hold her breath, but only for a moment. 'One has to be extremely careful with Dumbledore even on the best of days,' she thought. It had happened before, where people would ask a favour, and become virtual slaves as a result.

"Alright, love," she replied, giving him a quick peck on the lips. "I'm sure the matter will have a solution soon."

In the days that followed, Arthur had no luck in finding any leads on the mystery boy's identity. She reported the findings to Evanna, who was crestfallen at yet another dead end. Molly's curiosity about the boy got the better of her, and she invited Evanna over once more a few days afterward.

"I trust everything is going well," she asked after they'd settled in for tea.

"Oh everything is wonderful Molly," replied the younger woman, face full of composed elation. Molly, though often unable to read subtle expressions, quickly caught on that something had changed for the Lovegoods.

"And the boy?" she asked eagerly. Evanna smiled.

"He's now my adoptive son," she stated, mixed feelings clouding her eyes. "Since we didn't know much of his identity, we took him to Gringotts," she explained, noticing that Molly was enthralled with the story. "The goblins revealed only two thing to us, his age and his… _family_," she continued, almost sneering the last word. "They don't know he exists. If they did, he would be in grave danger. I'm sorry Molly, I can't tell you who they are, even if you're dying to know." The red headed matriarch was mildly upset that she was that easily read.

"At the very least could you bring the boy over?" she asked, trying to sound as kind as possible. "Ron's just so lonely all the time and I feel he could suffer because of that. Especially when he goes to Hogwarts." Evanna nodded in mutual understanding.

"I know Luna and Ginny haven't seen each other in a week and half, which is funny because you're all on the other side of the wood. It's not like it's the forbidden forest!" The last comment brought laughter to both ladies lips. Unfortunately this was cut off by what sounded like a loud explosion coming from the upper floors of the Burrow, followed by a cacophony of yelling. "I should get going. Good luck with the hellions!" said the blonde woman, rising gracefully and almost floating out the door. Unfortunately, Molly knew exactly who she meant by 'hellions', and soon enough they would be in for the worst hell she could throw at them.

-oOoOoOoOo-

Arthur Weasley was always tired. Work at the ministry, as all other places, was a seven day week, and working from three in the morning to six at night was absolutely excruciating. Yet he bore it all to provide for his children and their needs. It was a great relief that Bill had gone into cursebreaking, and it had been an even greater relief he'd received a job at Gringotts. However, that still left his three youngest sons and his daughter going to Hogwarts in a few years. It was times like this where he wished Hogwarts was more like those muggle schools he saw on his way to work. Oh no, he loved Hogwarts and the experiences he, his wife, and children had or would have there, but it was so hard to afford the rates, the supplies, and still have to provide for all of the other parts of life. That evening he'd walked in expecting the usual mayhem, only to find it was unusually quiet. No screaming Percy, no whining Ron, no explosions courtesy of the twins, not even a bat bogey hex flying across the room.

"Arthur, is that you?" called a feminine voice from the other room. At that moment, the tired man saw his wife enter the living room, holding her wand in one hand, followed by a knife chopping potatoes mid-air. She seemed to be elated about something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"It's awfully quiet in here. Usually the twins are harassing poor Ron at this moment," he said wearily.

"Well," Molly began, eyes to the ceiling as though mentally checking of a list, "Bill's still at Gringotts. He said he'd be late. I told Charlie to take Ginny, Ron, and the twins down to the Torridge, and Percy's over at the Clearwater's with Penelope, Roger, Oliver, and Elena Macmillan." Arthur was surprised that his wife managed to clear the Burrow of its younger inhabitants. The question in his mind was, why? He cocked an eyebrow. "Oh come now, I know you think I'm up to something," she retorted, seeing his suspicions.

"Why is everyone gone? Are we trying for a second daughter?" he asked half-jokingly.

"Arthur Claudius Weasley! I'm not so blind as to wish poverty on another child," she huffed, throwing an unintentional barb that stung nonetheless. He smiled to mask the hurt. "Really Arthur, all I wanted to do is speak to you on a somewhat delicate matter and a favour. Is that too much to ask?" He sighed.

"No dear, tis not." He made a move to sit on a nearby couch. "What do you wish to tell me?" Following his lead, his wife banished the knife and potato to the kitchen with her wand, and sat down next to him.

"You remember the boy Evanna found last week?" she asked.

"How could I not? I remember Ron claiming you almost killed him by smothering." She shot him a glare, and his chuckle faltered.

"As I was saying, the Lovegoods decided to adopt him since no one else has claimed him, even at the bank." His eyes widened at the sound of the surprising news.

"So he's a Lovegood now?"

"Albus Eamon Lovegood, if I'm not mistaken. Weird name, isn't it? I decided to invite the Lovegoods over for a dinner so we could finally meet him." Arthur felt a sinking feeling in his chest.

"I take it have to be there, don't I?" he asked. His response was met with a look of outrage.

"Really Arthur? It's the very least you could do here," she huffed.

"If I had any space in my schedule, you know I would use it to spend time with you and kids in a heartbeat. I mean it, but with the recent upswing in deliveries-"

"Deliveries? Arthur, why would the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office have deliveries?" she said, puzzled. His heart started racing as he realised his slip.

"There've been recent raids all over the country, and objects are flooding in like locusts," he lied, barely keeping his tone level. Molly cocked an eyebrow.

"I hope they're paying you overtime for this. Merlin knows we need it."

"Don't worry hun. That's included due to the backlog." Her suspicion was replaced with a faint smile of understanding.

"It's fine then dear. I'll have them over and make sure the twins behave."

"Did you call us, mother dearest?" The voice caused Arthur to turn back and look at Fred, or was it George, standing in the doorway. Moments later the other one reached the door and as if on cue, continued.

"We didn't do anything this time."

"Or are you still mad at us for yesterday?" continued the first.

"I bet you she is George," retorted the second.

"YOU TWO! If I see so much as a toe out of line when the Lovegoods are over, I'll make you sure you two won't speak from now until September 1st! DO. I. MAKE. MYSELF. CLEAR?

"Yes mother," they said, sighing slightly.

"Good. Now where are your siblings?" At that moment, the Weasley patriarch noticed Ron, Ginny, and Charlie bolt through, bounding to the dinner table.

"NO RUNNING!" howled Molly, and the Burrow descended into the usual chaos that was dinner.

-oOoOoOoOo-

Albus was quite excited to go to the Weasleys. His new sister told him about all the fun times she had with Ginny up in Knott's Wood, the River Torridge, the fields, and even the River Waldon over the hill.

"So are they all gingers?" he asked tactlessly.

"Yes, I bet you it's all the potatoes they eat. They're full of karotene you know," relied Luna.

"Luna darling it's called_ carotene_ and it's found in carrots, not potatoes," chided Evanna. "Good observation though."

Luna shrugged it off, and Albus snickered at the humour of the observation. He thought it was a bit sad that Xeno couldn't be with them because he was still working on news articles. As he, his mother, and his sister crossed the hill, he caught sight of the Burrow for the first time. It was quite a sight to see, a four story tower, with odds and ends sticking out in all directions, miraculously standing as though by magic. In spite of it all, Albus could only find one word to describe what he saw.

"Brilliant," he breathed.

"Come! Ginny's got six brothers, and I'm sure you'll like them. With that, she took off down the hill, and he had no choice but to follow. His honour was on the line! As the two of them bolted towards the strange house, he felt an unusual feeling. It was almost as if he knew this place. As though he had visited one summer several years ago.

"You need to start running more Albus, and stop listening to the wackspurts" cried Luna, breaking him out of his daydream. "'Cause the way you're doing it, I'll always win!" He scowled slightly, but conceded defeat earnestly. It took a few moments for his mother to catch up, but when she did, the three Lovegoods made their way through the garden gate and up to the front door. Evanna rapped on the door quickly, greeted by assorted noises on the other side of the door. Only after a few seconds did someone open the door, and when they did, Albus was speechless. Here stood a fiery haired woman, broad and proud, a smile etched on her face, ready to welcome him into her home. The déjà vu he was experiencing earlier suddenly flashed through his mind, and for the first time in a week, his past began to resurface.

He remembered a rundown, half ruined version of the house before him, packed to the brim with people. He remember not feeling comfortable, especially around all this loud, hyperactive children who were his cousins. He just remembered being in a corner, reading his book, before a shadow appeared behind him.

"Albus? What are you doing back here?"

"Reading book, Obāchan!" he said in soft, broken English. He recalled turning around and seeing his grandmother, and she looked like Mrs. Weasley. However his grandmother had looked much older, far more lines on her face, far less meat on her bones, and eyes that had clearly seen too much.

"Why don't you go play with your cousins?" she prompted. "You have travelled a long way, and they are quiet excited to meet you."

"But is too loud, Obāchan! Much softer back home." She looked a bit saddened.

"This would've been your home too if things hadn't gone so badly after Minister Kingsley was killed," she said thoughtlessly. She only realised what she'd said a beat later, eyes widening from surprise. He remembered wondering who that was and wanting to press further, but someone calling his name broke the trance. He noticed all eyes were on him, even those of the Weasley boys peering behind their mother.

"Albus are you alright?" asked Evanna, slightly worried. Turning to her he gave a slight smile.

"Yes mother, I'm fine. Mrs. Weasley reminded me of someone." He noticed his mother's eyes widen slightly, full of excitement, but quickly reverted to normal.

"We'll speak of this later dear. Now what do we do when we meet new people?" she reminded.

"Oh," he said, promptly turning back to the red headed matriarch, giving her a slight bow and then offering his hand. "Mrs. Weasley, it's a pleasure to meet you. Albus Lovegood." She gave him a warm smile and a hug in return.

"Albus, I've known you're mother for years. Please call me Aunt Molly. Luna does it." Luna bobbed her head in agreement.

"Well, I'll be," said one of the identical looking boys.

"Looks like ickle Luna's got a brother of her own!" said the other.

"Now we have more guinea pigs!" the cried together, earning a glare from their mother.

"I'm Fred," said the first.

"No, I'm Fred," retorted the second.

"Well then I must be George," declared the first.

"Pleasure to meet you!" Albus shook both their hands and gave them slight bows as well, and slowly the entire procession made its way into the living room. He met Percy, who seemed very pompous, Charlie, who started messing with the twins, and Ginny, who dragged off Luna shortly afterwards.

Noticing Albus sitting quietly listening to the twins, Charlie wondered where his youngest brother was.

"Oi, anybody know where Ron is?" he asked, realisation dawning on his mother's face as well.

"RONALD WEASLEY GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT!" Albus thought he went deaf for a moment, and wondered how anyone in this house still had their hearing. Sure enough, a sluggish stomping of feet down the stairs revealed a short read headed boy similar in age to Albus. He seemed halfway between tired and sulking, giving a nasty scowl to the room's inhabitants.

"I'm up! Did I miss breakfast?" he asked, yawning.

"No we just wanted you up at the crack of dawn," said George, or Fred earning him a glare from the young boy. Albus gave smile and a small wave to him, resulting in a very confused Ron.

"Who are you? Are you the kid that almost died near the pond?"

"Ron! Use some tact for Merlin's sake!" huffed Molly. Albus giggled a bit and Ron looked at his feet, head hung in shame.

"I'm Albus," he said, bowing and extending his hand. The boy's head snapped up and looked at it suspiciously, but accepted it when he saw the honest look on Albus' face.

"I'm Ron," he said, smiling back. Despite the rocky start, the two boys became fast friends as Ron took it upon himself to explain every detail about quidditch to him, along with witty barbs from the twins and the occasional input from Charlie. Ron seemed to be over the moon to have someone his age to talk to, and Albus, eager to meet as many people and know as much as possible, was happy to oblige. Eventually the conversation shifted towards siblings, and Ron was very vocal about two in particular.

"Don't trust them, ya hear? They could strike at any moment." Albus laughed.

"Oh c'mon! They can't be that evil," he said, only to have Ron turn whiter than a sheet. "What? Is there something in my teeth? Are the twins behind me?" Ron started babbling incoherently, clearly gripped by fear.

"Sp-sp-sp-SPIDER! AAAAAAHHHHH!" he screamed. Laughter peeled out behind Albus, causing him to turn around. Seeing no one there, he turned around, and he saw that one twin had his petrified younger brother in a head lock, while the other ruffled Ron's hair.

"Mission accomplished, George?"

"I would say so, Fred"

"No do you see what I mean?" asked Ron desperately.

"Oh come now Ron, it was just an ickle illusion…" began Fred.

"…that just happened to make Albus appear like an acromantula," finished George, erupting into a fresh round of laughter.

"I do see what you mean, Ron," said Albus pensively. "They're evasive, cunning, clever, and when they have a goal in mind, they don't let go."

"Why thank you," they replied, offering a similar bow to the one he used when greeting them.

"Such an honour to be acknowledged," said Fred.

"Ronnie, this one's a keeper," joked his brother, earning a nasty scowl from the young boy.

The rest of the afternoon proceeded in the same playful manner, with Ginny and Luna eventually joining in the ruckus. Sadly all things must come to end, and sure enough, Albus and Luna were saying their good-byes to the Weasley clan. Walking up the hill, Albus listened to Luna talking about what she enjoyed, while he joked back at her.

"I'm sure you two can handle yourselves tomorrow," said his mother calmly. He glanced to Luna who looked just as confused as he did, both silently agreeing to let their mother continue. "What? Do you think that I wouldn't let you go visit again even though I can't go? They are our neighbours after all." At these words, he and his sister cracked eager grins because both knew one thing was certain.

This summer was going to be brilliant.

A.N. Thank you to all who commented, it is appreciated.

Guest: I don't know if you'll ever read this but ill adress to you anyway. What you said about Evanna is spot on. I personally think that a lot of what people in canon see of the Lovegoods is their mechanisms of coping with Evanna's death. I make no such promises as to the second part of your comment, but we will see what arises as the plot goes on

Harry-Potter-Magic: Info on Harry, Ginny, and Lily will come slowly, and in a round about way. Initially, their fate wasn't going to be revealed until later on, possibly even in the sequel, but it seems there is curiosity over it so I will incorporate it. On the other hand, James' fate will begin to be made manifest shortly :)

AJ Granger: I like your deductive reasoning, because the goblins are crafty little buggers and their will be more on that as the story goes on. Bear in mind, Albus' birthday is no coincidence. About Xeno's comment; while Albus may look the most like Harry of his three children, he is not by any means, a clone with one different feature as sometimes written. Biology doesn't work that way (at least in natual human reproduction) so while Xeno may have said it as a joke, there aren't enough similarities (such as the lack of a scar among other things) for it to be taken very seriously.


	5. Friends and Family

A.N. If you recognise it, it's not mine. Harry Potter and co. still owned by J.K Rowling.

Thank you those who commented

Friends and Family

It was dark, almost pitch black. Albus didn't know how he got to be there, but he didn't find it very safe. In the distance, he heard whimpering. Even though he felt afraid, he groped through the darkness to find the source. Wandering, he saw a faint light in the distance, where the sobbing seemed to be coming from. As he made his way closer, he noticed a boy, older than him by perhaps two or three years, huddling underneath a bare lightbulb. 'So that's who's crying,' thought Albus, carefully approaching the youth. As he neared the other boy, he could make out mumbling in a language he did not undrstand.

"H-Hello?" he called. The boy, head drooping, only mumbled in response.

"I'm sorry, didn't catch that. What did you say?" asked Albus, nudging the boy.

"Ore no shōgai," he mumbled. Albus was confused by the strange response. Then suddenly, as though a switch turned on in his mind, Albus understood every word the crying boy uttered. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry," he chanted.

"Pardon?" Albus said, even more confused.

"MY FAULT!" screamed the boy, erupting in a fresh round of sobbing. Albus flinched at the incoherent accusation. However, he felt sorry for the mourning youth in front of him, so he came close and pulled the boy into a strong hug. Initially the boy went rigid, but he calmed down, sobbing his eyes out on the younger boy's shoulder. After what seemed like ages, the strange boy looked at Albus, giving him a chance to get a good look at his face. He was starting to lose his baby fat, but still looked fairly impish. He had dark chestnut hair, hazel eyes, and many freckles.

"Thanks," he said quietly.

"For what?" asked Albus honestly.

"For being there for me. I just lost my bro-"his voice faltered again, and tears threatened to pour from his eyes. Albus simply pulled him close.

"I'm sure it wasn't your fault," he said softly, trying his best to deal with the unusual situation.

"But it was! If I hadn't brought him into to dad's memory cabinet, it wouldn't have fallen over and exploded!" he moaned, still clearly upset.

Albus didn't know what to say. What could he say? 'Oh, I'm sure he's ok wherever he is?' It would not be much comfort to the boy. The awkward silence lasted about a minute before Albus asked the other child a question.

"Do you know where we are?"

"In a dream, I think. Master Kakuro says that sometimes dreams can be real places because of magic" he replied.

"Wicked! So if this is a dream where are you really from?" asked Albus.

"Yoshiumicho. It's across the bay from Imabari."

"Sounds familiar, but it doesn't sound like it's around here."

"Oh? Then where are you from, Mr. Shorty?" asked the boy, a hint of mirth entering his voice, much to Albus' bemusement.

"It's a small town called Ottery St. Catchpole in Devon."

"Otori san Kajuporu!? That's ridiculous! Sounds like one of those places my parents lived in father's stories," he announced chuckling.

"What, your mom doesn't tell stories?" asked Albus tactlessly.

"Dad doesn't talk about her much and don't remember her either." Albus' face fell slightly.

"Oh," he said. "I'm sorry for bringing that up."

"It's fine. The family I've known my whole life is my dad, my older brother who likes to change his hair a lot, me, my…" he could not bear to say it again, so he continued, "and my baby sister."

"Wow, you have lots of siblings! I've got Luna, my younger sister, and my parents," replied Albus.

"Always remember to appreciate them," said the older boy somberly, "cause you never know if that'll be all the time you get with them." His words were quite solemn, and it made Albus a little sad. He decided to lighten up the conversation.

"By the way, I'm Albus. What's your name?" An impish grin blossomed on the boy's face.

"I have many names," he began dramatically, "little demon, that kid, a Shirotora clansman, Kotteru-san, imp. The list goes on and on really."

"But what's the name you go by?" reiterated Albus.

"Ah! My middle name." he replied grinning.

"Which is?" huffed Albus.

"A translation of my father's Godfather's name, who passed away when he was young."

"Yes BUT WHAT'S YOUR NAME!?" he cried impatiently. The boy laughed.

"My name is…Seiryū."

At the moment Albus' eyes snapped open, ending the strange dream with streams of sunlight pouring though his bedroom window.

-oOoOoOoOo-

Luna listened as her brother told her his strange dream and wondered what it could mean. Could it be the Nargles messing with his head again? Could he be a seer, and that was a vision? Could it be symbolic of his past life, like the book in father's library about Sy-ko-nalsis said?

"Um, hello? Earth to Luna!" joked Albus.

"Oh, sorry! I was just wondering what it could possibly mean," she said dreamily.

"Exactly! I don't want mum to get her hopes up or be angry, cause I've got no idea what this one means."

"Well, maybe if we get some breakfast, then we could work this out later."

"Or would could just go down to the Waldon like you suggested," replied Albus, clearly trying to put the whole event behind them.

"Oooh! That sounds like a better idea!" replied an excited Luna as they walked down the stairs to the kitchen. When they entered they encountered rich aromas and joking parents.

"Oi! Just because you finished your part Xeno doesn't mean you sit down you lazy bugger!" cried Evanna.

"Um Evie? You just said that in front of Albus and Luna," he replied hastily. Luna and her brother giggled at that comment. Evanna glared at her husband anyway. Xeno sighed.

"Oh fine. Come," gesturing to the two of them, "let's help your mother finish grilling plantain," said Xeno, rising from his chair.

"But what about rice and pickled plums?" asked Albus a bit desperately.

"You really like those don't you?" teased Luna.

"We can't have those every day, Albus," explained their mother calmly. "If we did, you would get bored of them quite quickly. Today we're trying omelette and fried plantain instead. Sound fair?"

"Fine," replied Albus softly. Luna, wanting to make him feel better, dragged him to help cook said fruit, resulting in multiple incidents. It was quite hilarious really, especially when her father slipped on one of the peels. She hoped he hadn't cracked his tail bone when he fell. After an hour of this repetitive cycle of cooking and falling, breakfast was finally ready.

"There! Was that so hard, Xeno?" asked Evanna sweetly.

"Yes actually. I don't see you all black and blue at the expense of banana peels," he replied, slightly bemused.

"Plantains, love," she corrected. Luna and Albus just laughed. They settled into a delicious silence of eating, until Xeno decided to quiz her and her brother for the sake of quizzing.

"Now children, I trust you've been reading." They nodded their heads. "I see you in the library so often that I'd like to think so." The siblings gave another nod. "I see. Well _It was God who suffered them, though he restrained them…"_

"_They landed with horror, with lofty deed…" _replied Albus.

"_In their cloud of mighty combat of spectres…"_ continued Luna.

"_Upon a mountain of Conmaicne of Connacht," _they finished. Xeno smiled.

"Ah, the _Lebor Gabála Érenn_. The story of the Tuatha Dé Danann, first wizards to reach Ireland. A wise pick," beamed their father. "You know the Lovegoods are from Ireland."

"Here we go again," muttered Evanna. "I'm glad I stick to my potions. Four pepper-ups, a draught of peace, six spattergoit remedies, two wolfsbane and Bob's your uncle!" Luna noticed her father seemed mock-hurt at that comment.

"Fine! I shall be off to the printing press!" he declared.

"You mean the basement," stated Evanna flatly.

"Yes that!" he huffed. "And if Reggie Cattermole flooes, tell him his article's due tomorrow, no exceptions." He blustered down the stairs the instant he'd finished.

"Well that was fun, but those potions aren't going to brew themselves," her mother told herself. "Play safe dears, and be back for lunch. Oh and Albus? Don't forget that Ron wants to see you this afternoon," with those words, Evanna Lovegood drifted upstairs. Seeing as they were the only two left in the room, Luna glanced to her brother. He glanced back to her with a wicked smile on his face.

"Last one to the river is a rotten snortkack!" he cried, bolting out the door. It took her a moment to process what had just happened, but when she did, she took off right after him. He was clearly ahead of her. She didn't even see him the whole time. When she finally got to the river bank, she hadn't seen hair nor hide of her brother.

"Albus?" she called. Suddenly, a hand waved at her through the grass. As she approached, she saw Albus flat on his back, panting.

"Are you alright?" she asked reluctantly.

"Give…me…a minute…gah!" he panted, gasping for a lungful of air.

"What happened," she said worriedly. After a few more moments, he managed to catch his breath.

"I think I accidentally apparated," he stated. "I wanted to beat you here, and you know I don't run fast, so I tried to speed myself with magic. Well, it worked. Too well. Gah!"

"Breathe! Isn't this why mum tells us to be careful with wandless magic? Start small and build up?"

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," he admitted.

"Good. You're the only big brother I know that lets himself be bossed around by his younger sister," she said smirking.

"That's 'cause I'm your only brother," he deadpanned. She found it amusing. She offered him a hand, and he was quickly back on his feet. They decided to start looking for anything different, or that caught the eye. She quickly managed to point out a purple rock, a whaup's nest, and four dragonflies. Albus found a heron, a spider's web covered in dew, and a rat that looked uglier than Scabbers. The mid-August sun beat high in the sky, and both of them were looking at the flurry of Snipes, when Albus' attention shifted abruptly.

"Hey what's that over there," he pointed. She turned her gaze in that direction, and was amazed at what she saw. There, under the willows, between the cormorants and the dippers, was a flock of giant birds like she'd never seen before. Bright gold feathers lined their backs and wings, while dark sapphire feathers lined their breasts and stomachs. Their heads were like those of falcons, but their bodies were similar to herons. They stood regal and proud, almost as though they owned the river and everything in its environs.

"They're Adar," breathed Albus. It suddenly clicked for Luna.

"Adar Llwch Gwin! Of course!" she cried. "They're much more beautiful in person."

"Obviously! That manuscript made them look like fat, oversized cranes!" he laughed. "Well do you wanna call them over here?" Luna shrugged.

"You remember that even though they understand human speech, they'll take your words literally. They must be migrating to Antilla for the winter." Albus agreed, and they went back to staring at the beautiful birds. After ages of admiring them, they suddenly took off, followed by swarm of plovers, dunlins, and goosanders. As they watched the departing swarm, Luna remembered what their mother told them.

"Hey, do you know the time?" she asked the boy. His eyes gazed up at some indefinite point as he thought about it.

"Haven't the foggiest," he stated bluntly, looking back to her.

"Why don't you try to get it magically?" asked Luna.

"After nearly fainting of exhaustion?" he teased.

"Just do it."

"Fine, fine, give me a moment," he said. He scrunched his face as he strained to produce any effect. Sure enough, Luna noticed to faint analog clock hands appear in the air.

"You did it!" she cried of excitement. He looked at his work and smiled. The smile quickly faded as he realised the time the hands read.

"We're late!" he exclaimed, grabbing her hand and running. She quickly pulled ahead of him in a race to get back home first. She came to a skidding halt in front of the back door, and bolted into the kitchen, Albus right on her heels.

"Ah right on time," said a voice in the other room. "Oh Luna?" it continued, hinting frustration. She recognised when her mother was upset, so she forced herself to wear a distant gaze and floated into the dining room. Rounding the corner she saw her mother holding a struggling rabbit.

"Hello mother, is something wrong? You look awfully blue today. Did the heliopaths try to gouge out your eyes again?" she replied, soft and dreamy.

"Nice try. You know I've been able to see through that since you were six," replied her mother, clearly not amused. The fact that the rabbit began trying to bite her didn't help improve matters either.

"I wanted to make sure it was safe last night. It could've been fox prey the way it looked," she pleaded.

"That's all fine and dandy, but when it nearly crawls into a vat of Felix felicius, then it's a menace to my workplace," she said sternly. Luna heard Albus munching away on lunch back in the kitchen and sighed finally looking back to her mother.

"Fine I'll put it back in the thicket," she said in hushed tones.

"And you'll be helping me clean out some of the cauldrons too. Don't think you're getting off that easy," she continued.

"I'm off mum!" called her brother, passing through the hallway, and out the front door.

"Be back before dinner!" replied her mother in suit. As she reached for the restless rodent that she'd been tasked to 'dispose' of, she got an idea.

'Next time you get curious, make sure Albus is your alibi.'

-oOoOoOoOo-

Ron was anxious. In the past week and a half he'd known Albus, they'd become fast friends. Life was much more fun when he had a friend around, even if he put his foot in his mouth more times than he could count. However, Albus was late. 'He's never late,' thought the boy. 'Maybe he doesn't want to be around me anymore, or maybe he liked my brothers better, or maybe-'

It was at that moment that Albus came bounding over the hill near Knott's Wood, clear excitement on his face. Whatever worry Ron was feeling, it quickly vanished as he shot the other boy a genuine smile. Albus came careening down the hillside, momentum propelling him headlong into Ron, and straight into the ground.

"Geroff me Al!" laughed Ron. The other boy smirked.

"Maybe I should call dog pile," suggested Albus mischievously, earning him a punch in the back from the ginger on the ground. "Alright, Alright, I'm up!" he cried, hauling himself upright. After dusting himself off, he offered Ron a hand.

"So whacha wanna do?" asked Ron.

"Well we've done a lot of things around here. We've even been in my dad's library," joked Albus.

"Hey that's only cause your dad's got tons of wicked things in there," exclaimed Ron.

"Like books?" grinned Albus.

"And other things."

"So the great Ron Weasley agrees he likes books."  
"Yea-wait what?" asked a very confused Ron.

"You said 'and other things' meaning you liked the books to begin with," explained the dark haired boy.

"But I-I didn't mean-," he sputtered while Albus laughed.

"I'm only messing with you, mate." Ron breathed a sigh of relief. "But seriously, I saw you, and you did like the books in there."

"Yeah…I guess you're right," he admitted. "But that still doesn't solve the problem. What are we gonna do today?"

"We could always go down to Ottery St. Catchpole," suggested the other boy.

"Ottery St. Catchpole? Really Al? The muggles?" asked Ron, almost gobsmacked at the idea.

"Why, not? I mean there's really nothing better to do here, might as well go up the road to town," stated Albus in a reasoning tone.

"You're strange, Al."

"I am a Lovegood, am I not?" Ron couldn't help but laugh, quickly following the other boy who'd begun the march to town already.

It took nearly twenty minutes to get there, seeing as they'd had to take the long way around, but when they got there, Ron was mesmerised. Glancing over to Albus, it was clear he was just as amazed as the taller boy was.

It wasn't a large town, but everything about it was fascinating to young wizards who'd never been exposed to the muggle world before. The lorry by the church, the lamppost, random ladies chatting each other up about 'politks', and most importantly, the shiny coin on the ground.

"It's a pound I think," declared Ron as Albus picked it up.

"Well that's what it says on the coin."

"Wait! That means its money!" he exclaimed, face as bright as his hair.

"So you want something from that apothecary we passed on the way in?"

"Nah, didn't look like anything but bottles of who knows what."

"Then lets look for a store," announced Albus happily. They searched less than two minutes before entering a store that appeared to be a grocer.

"What can I get for ya, lads?" asked a cheery shopkeeper, standing by the counter. His store was full of shelves containing produce, boxes, cans, and sundry things.

"We'd like to know what we can get with this," stated Albus, holding up the coin, Ron nodding in agreement.

"Lemme see that," said the store owner. Albus passed the coin over to the elder man, who examined it momentarily. "It's a pound. Well what do ya want for a pound?" he asked. "I've got bags of assorted candy, 3 apples, a can of soup, or a couple of boxes of biscuits all for a pound." When Ron heard biscuits, his heart started jumping out of his chest.

"Al!" he whispered loudly, "We get candy way more often. Heck, my brothers bring it back every time they come home for the holidays. Let's get the biscuits."

"Well since it's our pound, and I've never tried biscuits-"

"Never tried biscuits! We're remedying that now! Sir," he called to the shopkeeper, "we're buying the biscuits."

"Sure thing. First aisle on the left." The boys scampered down the aisle, grabbing the first boxes they saw, and came back to the cashier, eyes full of glee. As they approached the counter, Ron noticed the man's own eyes light up for an instant.

"Say. Are ya from round here?" he asked Albus.

"Yes, why?"

"You're accent's really off. You're new here though, right?"

"You could say that," replied the boy in a 'sure-let's-go-with-that' tone in his voice.

"I see. Well, how would ya boys like a pound each?" he offered. Albus nodded happily in agreement, matching Ron's smile and nod. "I have a shipment of melons out back and I need to put them there," he said, pointing to the empty shelf between the cucumbers, and the blueberries. "I'm sure some strapping young boys such as yourselves wouldn't mind a little bit of work."

"I'll do it," cried Albus instantly. Ron, not wanting to say no when his only friend had agreed, accepted the job as well. After leading them out back, they caught sight of the shipment and were surprised at what they saw. It was a modest assortment of all types of melons, some bigger than Ron's head, others small enough to hold in one hand.

"Bloody hell," he breathed.

"Thank Merlin, your mum isn't here," said Albus. Ron caught the shopkeeper rolling his eyes, talking aloud; 'kid's these days.' So the two boys began hauling the melons into the store. At first the work was slow, but they quickly worked out a system to speed the job up. Oh, how those giant fruits killed his arms. It took a good hour, but at the end of it, all the melons were sitting on the shelf, sparkling and ready to for hungry townspeople.

"Well, I'm surprised! Most of the lads 'round here would've given up after twenty minutes. I think this deserves more than just a pound." He walked over to the register, and pulled out four thick brass coins, identical to the one they found on the street. "Here you go boys. Two pounds apiece for ya service."

"Thank you," the chorused, supporting each other from falling down.

"Now scat, I'm sure your mothers want ya home for dinner, and ya never want an angry mum on ya backs, eh?" They shook their heads, too exhausted to do anything else.

"Bye, sir!" called Ron.

"Hope your melons sell!" finished Albus as they hobbled away, still recovering from the hard labour they'd preformed.

"I can't feel my arms," moaned Ron, struggling more than the dark-haired boy in front of him.

"Well Ron, you don't want to be a squishy wizard forever, do ya?" said Albus brightly, taking off. Ron felt his face burn.

"Oi! Get back here you prat!" he yelled, finding a hidden well of energy to chase the boy. After all, his honour was at stake. As they ran over the hills towards the Burrow, Ron was sure of one thing.

When Albus was around, the word 'dull' simply didn't exist.

A.N. Ore no shogai- rougly translates as 'my fault' (Google says 'watashi' instead of ore, but the first is feminine if i recall correctly)

At this point I should probably state that this AU didn't start with Albus showing up in the timeline. The for want of a nail began in the original timeline, and has in fact been mentioned. Hence why the DH epilogue is only partially followed.

Harry-Potter-Magic: I hope this answers a bit of the 'why the broken english.' Thank you, writing the twins feels like the hardest part to do so I'm glad it turned out well.

Queen of Liars: In Canon, Dumbledore is a very complex character. He is seen in many different ways by many different people ranging from prat brother (Aberforth) to Merlin encarnate (big portion of the populace) to lying old fool (the Ministry during OotP) to mentor (Harry and others) to the only man one fears (Tom Riddle/Voldie). In this story, Albus Dumbledore will be an equally if not more complex character. We've seen Xeno's opinion and reasons, but Molly's I have yet to reveal. All in due time.

I may not update soon as I'm supposed to get ch 7 of my other story up first.

Comments, Reviews and Opinions are highly welcomed.

Cheers,

Cepheus

Update: I forget to add my footnotes to often

Seiryū- its pronounced Say-reeoo the long e and o being slightly short

Edit update: Did a bit more editing to make it flow better

enjoy!


	6. The Sum of All Fears

**A.N. All this belonging to the Harry Potter Universe belong to a Ms. J.K Rowling**

**I am not her, so therefore I do not own Harry Potter**

**This was finished about a week ago so sorry for the late posting, chapter seven is already underway**

The Sum of All Fears

"There! That's the last of them," said, Xeno clearly exhausted from printing hundreds of newspaper copies that day. With the September edition ready a day ahead of schedule, he decided to go unwind in the library. As he climbed the stairs, he noticed a shadow coming in his direction. As he rounded the corner, he saw his daughter making her way down to her bedroom, visibly exhausted.

"Why so knackered, Moonbeam?" he asked softly. She looked up at him and gave him a smile, yawning.

"Me and Albus have been reading all day! I just want some sleep now," she said, her voice carrying dreamy overtones.

"That's 'Albus and I', hun." Luna nodded complacently, clearly too tired to complain. "I'll let you get off to bed now. Sleep tight; don't let the wrackspurts bite," he said, pulling his daughter close. She hugged him lethargically, arms drooping even as she nuzzled his belly.

"Good night daddy, I love you too," she said, drifting down the stairs. He turned his gaze back up to the library door, light spilling through underneath the crack. "Maybe now's a good time to talk to him" said Xeno to himself. He pushed the door open, entering the library and found Albus surrounded by a dozen candles, a pile of books next to him, and a giant tome in hand.

"You know, sleep helps process all that info you're drinking up," chuckled Xeno softly.

"Father!" exclaimed the young boy, nearly flying out of his seat to give him a solemn bow.

"Albus, love. There's no need to be that formal with me."

"Okay father," nodded the dark haired child, setting the book in his hands on top of the pile. 'One step at a time' he thought. He conjured a chair and a cup of tea, sitting down next to his son.

"What are all these things you're reading, Al?"

"All sorts of things, father! From Mexico to Egypt to Japan!" he cried, albeit with less enthusiasm than he had after a good night's rest.

"Ah, a Ravenclaw if I ever saw one," he mused softly. "But Albus, you know you can't just do this all night. Body and mind need rest, and I know personally what happens when you ignore that."

"But I need to know things father. How can I learn everything if I take breaks?" he exclaimed, anxiety flickering in his eyes.

"Rome was not built in a day. Knowledge works in quite the same way. You need to take breaks so that you understand what you just read, and not just go by simple blind faith."

"But I _need _to keep going father!"

"Oh? Why do you believe that?" Xeno noticed that his son was clearly upset.

"If I don't keep going, I'll never find out about-" he caught himself, eyes gripped with fear.

"About?"

"Nothing father," he mumbled. Xeno had a feeling he knew what the problem was.

"Albus, look at me." The boy obeyed hesitantly. "You're afraid of the fact you don't know who you were before, aren't you?" The boy stiffened for a second, but gave him a small nod, his eyes beginning to tear up.

"Oh Albus," he said, pulling his son in close for a hug. "You're too young to be haunted by those kinds of demons. I know you want to know what happened, but if you let the fear of it consume you, you'll never be free." He felt his shirt grow moist as the gentle boy gave soft sobs.

"I'm sorry father. I never meant to let you down," he moaned.

"You never let me down, love. I'm just sad because you feel afraid of something that I know I can't control," he said, a knot stuck in his throat. "The past is past, and we should not dwell too heavily on it. We cannot progress if we do. Don't seek knowledge to satisfy your fear, but seek for your curiosity, passion, and understanding." He saw Albus turn to him, his father, piercing green eyes wet with tears.

"Can-can you carry me to bed tonight, father?"

"Of course I can son," he replied, a wane smile on his face. Banishing the tea and chair, he reached down to carry a boy who needed to be reminded he was loved. They made their way out of the library.

"Father?" he yawned.

"Yes, Al?"

"Who's Kakuro Shirotora?" Xeno pondered a moment.

"He's the Warlock of Inter-magical Cooperation at the ICW. Why do you ask?"

"I read something about him in book," replied Albus. Xeno could tell there was more to that but decided against asking for the time being. He continued to Albus' room, and placed his son on his bed, next to yet another pile of books.

"Good night Albus. I love you."

"Love you too dad." He was asleep the moment he slurred those words.

"One step at a time, Xeno," he told himself as he closed the door, "one step at a time."

-oOoOoOoOo-

Evanna knew it was late but she fancied a cup of tea. It was only days when work was very taxing that she ever felt the need to resort to a late night cup. As she enjoyed the soothing aroma, her husband appeared in the kitchen looking equally tired.

"Thank you for brewing the pot of tea earlier. I really needed it upstairs."

"So that's where the chair, and cup went off to."

"Aye it was," he relied softly.

"Warn me next time you wandlessly conjure chairs I'm about to sit on." A small chuckle escaped his mouth. However, a hint of sadness rested on his face.

"I was just talking to Albus."

"Was something wrong?" she asked, unsure of the situation.

"In a way," he replied quickly. "It seems like his loss of memory is affecting him a bit more than we thought."

"What do you mean?" Her brow creased with concern.

"He's afraid of the lack of knowledge and was compensating by trying to learn as much as possible."

His answer was met with silence lasting but a moment.

"Albus is so cheerful that sometimes it's hard to remember that he's been through such trauma." She spoke gravely, speaking wisdom laced with grief. "He's strong though, I can see it. If anyone can pull through this, it's him"

"And will be right there beside him, as a family," he finished, setting aside his tea. The two shared a hug of understanding, finishing with brief kiss.

"Even though it's been an interesting month, I wouldn't trade for any in the world,"

"Neither would I dear," he replied, drawing circles on her back. She pulled back, picked up his tea, and handed it back to him.

"So the September edition's all finished and ready for shipping?" she asked promptly.

"Well," he began. She gave him a glance of suspicion, laughter escaping his lips. "Yes, not to worry. I finished at least an hour ago and the owls are sure to arrive any moment now."

"And that 'reading club' of yours?"

"The Modern Wizard Society?"

"The very same," came her response. "Unless there's another organization competing for my husband's affections."

"Oh shush! You know that I care about you deeply," he said as she rolled her eyes.

"Of course I know that dear. How many have said they're attending this month?" He drew figures in the air with his hands before turning back.

"With Victor Macmillan, the Nott siblings, and Knobby Leach, I'd say it's about two dozen."

"Quite a feat considering five years ago it was nothing but you, my sister's family, and a few friends."

"Well, it just goes to show you that people are tired of the same factions struggling for power without looking at the real problems," he replied, passion glimmering in his eyes. "Unfortunately, we still have to keep it low key, so it's in Leeds this month." She could see that even through the hope and fire that burned within him, there was a great amount of sorrow present.

"You're doing this for them, aren't you? Even after all this time," she answered, wearing an all knowing look on her face.

"How could I not," he whispered. "They spoke out against the Death Eaters, the Ministry, and the 'Order-that's-not-supposed-to exist'." He paused. "My parents wanted a Magical Britain that allowed its people to be free, like the rest of the world is," he explained nostalgically, as if he'd said those words before. She picked up his thought from there.

"I know. It's obvious we live in a police state that shuts out everyone. Muggles, centaurs, goblins, werewolves, even other mages from around the world."

"Exactly! Most of those that left Britain during the Closure and the Blood War are still stuck in Refugee camps in Ireland and France. It was because my parents knew what was going on that they were…" he hesitated, "…that they were permanently dealt with." She pulled him close again, whispering softly in his ear.

"I understand. This needs to be done if we want a place where our children and grandchildren aren't slaves of a corrupt ministry, a murderous psychopath, or a manipulative chess master. I'm proud of what you're doing you know. Don't ever forget that." She glance to his face, and saw a genuine smile of gratitude.

"You know, we discuss depressing topics too often," he noted.

"But that's who we are," she countered, "We're able to brave the storm, even in our strange little way."

"Well then oh mighty Evie Lovegood, any more wisdom?" he gushed as he made gestures of bowing towards her.

"Not that I know of, Felix," she grinned slyly, using his middle name to her advantage. He scowled, just as she expected he would.

"You just had to say it," he whined.

"At least its better the Luna's."

"What? It's a good name. And it's Irish!

"Remind me never to let you pick names again," she joked, composing herself promptly. "But in all seriousness, we will be watching the youngest Weasleys tomorrow."

"Oh?" he replied, raising his eyebrows.

"Apparently, Arthur was invited to an "Our-kids-are-off-to-Hogwarts" party," she stated as the candle flickered, casting shadows around the room. "This is the first time that Molly's joining him, so she can't take care of Ron and Ginny."

"So then I'll watch them. You still have potions to brew, but since tomorrow's delivery day, I'm free."

"Thank you love, that's just what I needed to hear." Her sweet smile made her husband grin as he finished sipping his tea.

"Know what else you'd love to hear?" smoothly replied Xeno. She banished her tea, and gave him a smirk.

"I think I know exactly what I want to hear," she laughed, grabbing him by the arm as they made their way up the stairs for the night.

-oOoOoOoOo-

Ron wasn't happy. Every year for as long as he could remember, his mother had taken all seven of her children to King's Cross on the first of September. However, he and his sister were told they'd be unable to go for the first time ever, simply because his parents were going to a party immediately afterwards.

"Why can't I come?" whined the young boy to his mother. She shot him a glare, silencing his pleas before he could finish.

"I've already told you, Ronald! It's not a party for children, and that's final! Ginny stop fiddling with your bow," she said as she fussed over his younger sister. Ron resorted to the only thing he could do: sulk. As they made their way over the hill, he saw his Charlie, Percy, and the Twins waving to them as they lugged their trunks to their father's new flying car, laughing all the while.

"How do you even know there's a party? Dad's left for work already!"

"Your father will be back in two minutes. Honestly Ronald, just because your father's at work the moment you get up doesn't mean he won't be here when it's time to go." He huffed again, turning to his sister. She gave him a look of sympathy.

"Smile now, sulk later," she whispered. "That way she fusses less." An incredulous glare was his response as he felt betrayed by his sister's suggestion. The towering rook-like structure of the Lovegood home came into sight, and his mum spent the rest of the way there reminding them of the rules, fussing, and warning them to behave. He was quite angry, and it didn't help that his mother was escorting them there when he knew the way to the Lovegoods like the back of his hand.

Finally as they crossed the property line into their front yard, Albus and Luna came bolting out of the house, half racing, half ready to tackle them. They were followed by their father, who seemed to be as calm, even with the wind whipping his hair up in whirlwind of pale locks.

"Evie told me all about the situation last night," he called, Albus already dragging Ron and Ginny towards the house. His friend's enthusiasm was contagious, and even though he was still upset, Ron gave the Lovegood siblings a slight smile

"Oh, good. Tell her I'm glad she could do this at the last moment," replied a grateful Molly.

"I'm sure she'll be thrilled," he said smirking. Molly Weasley gave a quick reminder to her children, and in the blink of an eye, she was gone, having apparated back to the Burrow. "Well," exclaimed Xeno, clapping his hands together. "I'm going to make some brunch! Anyone want to join me?" Ginny and Luna quickly bolted inside, asking why the man couldn't hurry up. He then turned to Ron and his own son with an expectant look. "What about you boys?"

"In a minute," came Ron's reply, earning him a glance of confusion from the others present.

"Sure thing, but remember the food you make's worth more." Within a flash, Xeno had left the boys alone, Albus still confused as to Ron's reaction.

"What was that about?" he asked. Ron shrugged. "Oh c'mon. You're acting sulky. Like you couldn't go to King's Cross or some-…oh." Albus' realisation was made more poignant by the fact that the Ford Anglia was rising into the sky at that moment, making Ron's eyes start watering. Ron saw his friend's eyes' light up just as the car disappeared from view.

"We're going to King's Cross," declared the boy. The only thing Ron could make of his friend's statement was shock.

"Are you barmy?"

"Um…no?"

"We can't get to King's Cross! That requires-"

Floo powder and a fireplace," finished Albus confidently. "The fireplace is on the second floor, near my mum's potion's lab. She's busy right now, and fa-dad," Ron noticed the correction, "is in the kitchen with our sisters."

"So we can go use the floo network and get there in two second's flat! Al you're a genius!" he cried, joyfully hugging his friend as they laughed.

"Wait!" said Albus. Ron groaned.

"What now?"

"We need to leave something so that they don't think we've disappeared."

"Like a note?" he offered.

"Yeah! Be right back!" Albus bolted into the house, leaving Ron to wait outside by himself. 'Will this really work?' pondered the red-haired boy. It wasn't like they could make any mistakes. Just throw the powder into the fire, call the name, and there! They'd be standing in front of the Hogwarts Express. However he felt like he was missing something, but couldn't remember it. 'Must not have been important,' he reasoned.

"Oi! You coming or not?" Shaken out of his thoughts, Ron saw his friend waving a sheet of parchment triumphantly. "Read it, it's foolproof," said Albus smugly. Ron skimmed it.

_Father,_

_Went to Ottery St. Catchpole with Ron_

_Be back soon,_

_Albus _

"You think that's good enough?" he asked skeptically, knowing that the Lovegood parents were not the gullible sort.

"It'll buy us enough time. I mean, it's not like we'll get lost or anything." With the smile on Albus' face, Ron felt assured by the plan. They scurried into the house, careful to leave the note in the living room before sneaking up the stairs. They had to be extremely quiet as they approached the fireplace, knowing that Albus' mother was still nearby, even if she was engrossed in her work. Finally, they entered the room connected to the floo, where a fire was burning softly in the hearth.

"Okay, let's do this." Ron made his way to the small pot on a nearby table, finding it full to the brim with a green chalky powder.

"Here Al, take some," he called offering his friend a pinch before taking one himself. They approached the fireplace cautiously, watching the flames crackle over the glowing embers.

"You know what to do?" asked Albus, Ron confirming with a quick nod. The two threw their powder into the fire simultaneously, causing it to turn into a bright green conflagration. They then stepped into the hearth, and began calling out the name of their destination.

Unfortunately, as Ron called out 'Platform Nine and Three Quarters', his friend had coolly declared 'King's Cross'. Ron stared at Albus in shock as they disappeared amidst the emerald flames.

All that was left in the room was an uncapped floo jar, and dying embers to indicate that they had ever been there.

**AN. Thank you to Harry-Potter-Magic and Koryandrs for reviewing, I appreciate it**

**Nanettez: I see what you mean and it has been corrected, thank you**

**Anyway, reviews are always welcome!**

**Enjoy,**

**Cepheus**


	7. On the Tube

**A.N. Still don't own HP or anything of the like**

**All the recognizable things still belong to J. K. Rowling**

**enjoy**

On the Tube

To say that Albus was uncomfortable would be an understatement. The moment the flames had cleared, he and Ron were pressed awkwardly close together in what appeared to be a dark broom closet full of unknown bottles and sticks.

"Well we botched it," deadpanned Ron. "You know we were supposed to say Platform Nine and Three Quarters."  
"You never told me that!" cried Albus defensively.

"Great now we're stuck here."

"Oh quit moaning and help me get to the bleeding door!" The boys untangled themselves from the brooms surrounded them, and groped toward the doorknob. It took a few moments, but when Ron pulled the knob, both of them were blinded by the sudden light change. As his eyes adjusted, Albus peered out into a great space teeming with very serious men and women. All of them were dressed in dark clothing and carried an air of importance and haste. Albus was blatantly staring at the masses of people and the size of the space, when he heard the door click behind him. Turning around, he saw Ron sprawled on the ground, leaning against the now closed door.

"What? I'm just examining the floor?" he said defensively. Albus raised his eyebrows, but let him continue. "So how are we going to find Platform Nine and Three Quarters from here?"

"We could look for someone that stands out from the crowd, if you know what I mean." The other boy stared at him blankly for a second, before realising what he'd meant.

"Oh, I get it! Look for someone who looks like a wi-" before he finished, Albus clapped his hand over his friend's mouth, earning him a look of disbelief.

"Do you want to say that aloud and have people looking at as funny?" Ron's glare shifted to a sarcastic gaze. "I mean more than they already are, you git!" the ginger laughed, the sound muffled by his friend's hand. Out of the corner of his eye, Albus suddenly noticed something.

Walking across the Atrium was a stout woman, dressed in what could only be described as brightly coloured robes, and fiery red hair.

"Hey Ron," he said, tapping his friend. Glancing in the direction he was pointing, Ron stopped, eyes bulging.

"Sweet Merlin, it's mum! Hide me, quick!" he cried, trying to hide behind the shorter boy. Rolling his eyes, Albus asked,

"She's on her way to Platform Nine and Three Quarters, right?"

"Sure but-"

"Then we follow her!" he concluded, not noticing his friend's reluctance.

"Albus, we're gonna get caught!" his friend pleaded, as the passing people began giving them odd stares.

"Not if we're sneaky," he grinned wickedly. Ron coughed something that sounded awfully like 'Slytherin', much to his amusement. "Well, what are you waiting for? Move before we lose her!" The boys started running in the direction she'd gone; through a door above which hung a red ringed roundel, split in half by a blue bar upon which read 'UNDERGROUND'.

-oOoOoOoOo-

"I'm bored." Luna looked up from the book she was reading to see a pouting Ginny Weasley. Since finishing breakfast they'd carried on like this.

"You know daddy said we couldn't wander while he went looking for the boys."

"But we can still do _something_ here in the yard other than read you know," huffed the other girl. An idea came to Luna's head.

"What about magic?" she smirked. Ginny's attitude went from somber to near ecstatic when she mentioned it. "Looks like you definitely want to do that."

"You know what we should do?" exclaimed her friend. "We should try and fly without broomsticks!"

"Shouldn't we start by trying to float first?"

"That works too," she conceded. Luna got up off her chair and followed her friend to a clearing in the yard, and simply stood there.

"So how are we going to even get this done? Concentration? Meditating? Conjuring up flying monkeys to take us to mum's potions lab?" Luna's sarcasm made Ginny laugh as placed her finger to her head, clearly trying to think of an idea.

"We might want to imagine ourselves floating, and then really want that," concluded the red-headed girl. Luna, seeing her reasoning made sense, decided to stand there and simply visualise floating with earnest desire. A comfortable silence descended over them as they concentrated on their goal. However as the moments became minutes, the lack of change gave way to tension, and awkward glares. Luna noticed Ginny's patience was frayed as she huffed in frustration.

"We've been sitting here for ages, and nothing's happened."

"Sure it has," she replied brightly. "We've certainly aged a bit." A mild scowl danced across her friend's face, before it was replaced with mock haughtiness.

"Be gone with you!" she teased, waving her hand in Luna's direction. With that action, a roar of wind barrelled into Luna, sending her rolling, narrowly missing a tree. Luna felt dazed, but even in that state, she saw Ginny's jaw visible drop as she gawked at what had happened. Before either of them could recover from the shock, he father appeared at the back gate and he did not seem very amused.

"Have either of you seen the boys?" he called, a hint of worry lacing his words. They both shook their heads, being the only thing they could do as they tried to process the strangeness of gust of wind. "So they're not in Catchpole, and they haven't come back- wait, what are you girls up to?"

"Rolling around in the grass," replied Luna innocently.

"She's mental really," continued Ginny in a very serious tone, much to her displeasure. Her father did not seem entirely fooled.

"Uh-huh…right. You girls stay in the yard while I go check Knott's Wood and the Torridge. They are getting their ears boxed in when I get my hands on them," he said, the last part clearly louder than Luna thought he'd wanted it to be. As he rushed down the path, Luna turned back to Ginny who seemed to have recovered from the…incident.

"What was that?" she demanded.

"I-I'm not even sure, but it was powerful. I mean, you _flew _the whole way across the yard!"

"And it hurt!" she said, pouting and pointing her finger at the ginger. The rush of wind roared again, and hit Ginny head on, but the girl managed to stand her ground, albeit barely. Luna was gobsmacked at what she'd just done, just as her friend had been before her.

"So does it happen when we want to hurt each other?" asked Ginny, not as phased as the first time. "I say we test it."

"How? Desiring blustery weather?"

"Something like that. You try first, and see if it works." Luna steadied herself, closed her eyes, gave a deep breath, and pictured a fierce gale in her mind. It came slowly at first, like a soft whisper, but that whisper grew steadily louder until it roared in her ears. Opening her eyes, she saw all the trees in the yard swaying fiercely, their leaves wrapped up in the whirlwind, and Ginny, holding on to the fattest one to keep her from blowing away.

"That's bloody brilliant!" she exclaimed with glee, Luna barely being able to hear her over the noise. 'How do I get this to stop?' she pondered. Sure enough, the booming sound cut to dead noise, and everything became motionless. She ran over to Ginny, hair completely disheveled, smiling with equal fervour as the redhead.

"We have got to keep practicing this," she declared proudly.

"Oh, abso-bloody-lutely!"

"I'm sure your mother'd love to hear that," she retorted sarcastically.

"Well, she's not here so sod all! Besides, I could always blame Fred, George, or Ron for corrupting me," she countered smugly, making Luna concede the point.

"This could be our secret weapon. Could come in handy for all sorts of things."

"Like Quidditch!" exclaimed Ginny began concentrating wind, and Luna saw a dustbowl picking up. She saw the girl turn to her for a moment speaking before the wind got too loud.

"Remember how I said this day sucks? Scratch that. This day's the best ever!" Luna laughed as she ran to grab a tree for the first of many times that day.

-oOoOoOoOo-

Ron was trying to keep up with his faster friend as they bolted down the stairs, trying to keep his mum in sight. He wondered why she was going to King's Cross the muggle way. After all, it was only ten to eleven, meaning she'd gotten there early, left and was going back. At the bottom the stairs fanned out into a large hall, and it was difficult keeping track of Albus, let alone his mother.

"We're gonna lose her! C'mon Ron!" cried his friend, who was suddenly cut off by a large man, with a very serious demeanour.

"Lads, I'm giving you a warning, you need to pay fare if you want to ride the tube. That's the rules." Albus looked to him absolutely confused.

"Fares? L-l-like money?" stammered Ron.

"Yes boy, money. Fifty pence apiece." Ron didn't know what a pence was, but he remembered that he carried one of his muggle coins around in his pocket all the time. Rummaging for it, he pulled out the slightly rusted pound.

"Does this work?" he asked nervously. The inspector glance at it only a moment.

"Course it works, for the both of you." He took the piece quickly. "Now, get going! You're standin' in the middle of traffic." At that moment, Ron felt Albus grab his hand pulling him with all his might.

"Oi! Do you wanna yank my arm off?" he quipped.

"No time. She went that way!" In no time flat, they were down the moving stairs on the left side of the hall. He saw his mum at the very bottom of the escalator, turning right.

"Albus we take a right at the bottom," he said, since his friend had looked down while catching his breath. Even with the crowds of strange people, they made it to the bottom of the stairs quickly, turning right, down a short hallway to another moving staircase.

"Do this things ever end," he huffed.

"No time to find out, just keep running! Merlin your mum's fast." With fewer people on this…esklator was what the signs said...the boys made it to the bottom in record time. "Alright which way did she go?" asked the dark haired boy. "Ron began glancing around, and sure enough, out of the corner of his eye, he saw her boarding a silver tube like structure on their right. This time, it was Ron pulling Albus into the strange contraption, narrowly avoiding certain doom by the closing doors.

Both began panting, tying to inhale as much air as they could, earning them a few strange glances. It was at that moment they realised something. At the end of the tube, there was a wall that divided it from the next section, and through the glass on the other side, was the familiar red haired, lilac robed figure they'd been chasing, barely visible through the crowd. Looking at Albus, one could see the 'are you serious' written all over his face.

"So what now? We chased her on to this moving, um, train of sorts, and now what?" said Albus, looking like he was having a few second thoughts.

"We could see where she gets off and that might lead us to the platform," offered Ron. He seemed receptive to the idea, judging by the look on his face.

"Alright then, I think the next station is coming up 'cause this train isn't moving so quick now. You check this round, see if she leaves. If she doesn't, we stay on. If she does, call me and I'll run." The train ground to a halt and Ron took his cue at the nearest door. As they glided open, Ron peaked his head outside the doors to see dozen of people pouring on to an extremely narrow island, clearly not designed to hold the volume of bodies that were moving around on it. However, Ron saw no sign of the lavender robes anywhere, so he pulled his head back, watched the doors close, and walked back to where Albus stood as the train trundled away from the strange station.

"Nothing, she didn't get off this time." Albus sighed in frustration.

"This isn't what I had in mind," he said, shoulders slumped. They decided to take turns for each new station they passed. 'Old Street' declared the loud speaker as they halted at the next stop. Albus came back with the same result as he had. Ron had no idea what the time was, but he was sure it was at least eleven, meaning they'd missed the train. Dread was starting to pool in his stomach but he fought it down as he popped his head out the door at 'Moorgate'. All he saw was a group of women dressed in saffron, lapis, fuchsia and other bright colours, covered golden jewellery, and each with a red mark upon their foreheads. "Not what we're looking for," he called back to Albus, dejectedly. The people around them had given them a few strange looks, but Ron figured it was due to the strange activity they were doing.

"My turn," Albus said as he repeated the ritual at 'Bank'. He paused for a moment, making Ron wonder if this was it. Unfortunately, just like the times before, he turned his head back to Ron, shaking it in disagreement, worry all over his face.

"Why'd you take so long?"

"Because there was some old lady yelling something about birds and tuppence," he said slightly bewildered.

"Must be barmy," concluded Ron as they waited for the next station and the hopeful sight of his lilac robed mother. At 'London Bridge', he saw a woman fall down, while Albus claimed some man was singing about a fair at 'Borough', and when he poked his head out at 'Elephant and Castle', there were four school children calling if anyone knew how to get to 'Finchley' or something of the sort. With each passing station, the fear they were lost grew stronger and stronger within him.

"Why don't look together at this next stop?" asked Ron. Albus nodded his head quite enthusiastically. It was clear the other boy was as afraid but putting up a good front for the sake of his friend.

As the loudspeaker called out 'Kennington', they stood in front of the doors, anxious to know if this was the stop they were hoping for. The train finally stopped, its doors slipped open and they peered out onto the platform. Sure enough, there she was, the person they'd been waiting for, rapidly walking away from them, fiery hair whipping in her wake. Ron was so surprised he nearly missed Albus pulling him out of the doorway as the train's silver doors slammed shut. It began to pull away when he realised Albus was calling him.

"What are you doing?" he asked, surprised. "If we don't hurry up we'll lose her again." He began running, leaving Ron lagging behind.

"How do you run so fast?" he cried.

"I've been practicing, you squishy wizard." The taunt was meant to get him to move faster Ron decided, and decided to see if he could overtake his friend as they raced for the exit. They raced each other up the stairs and through the concourse, and toward the enclosure that his mum entered. They weren't able to catch up in time and the door closed on both of them.

"Blast! How the hell are we going to catch up to her?" asked Albus, frustrated. Ron glanced around, noticing a sign that pointed to another exit.

"Stairs, Al. That's how we're catching up to her," he said flatly. The other boy groaned, but soon enough, they were both climbing as fast as their legs could take them, gravity fighting them the whole way. It took a couple minutes but when they got to the top, they were exhausted. Unfortunately, in order to keep up, they had to keep moving. They exited the station on the side street, and Ron kept his eyes and ears open to see if they saw her. Albus spotted her first, making her way down the side street before turning right.

"That way," they said in unison, needing no one to drag the other along. As they rounded the corner, Ron saw she'd already made it to the next intersection. He didn't remember his mother ever being this fast, but he and Albus continued the chase, lungs ready to explode. The rows of houses passed them by as they turned left this time, and saw that this street was a short jog to the next street over. They sprinted the stretch, Ron finally pulling in front, finally getting a better look at his 'mother' as they turned on to the next street. He suddenly remembered that she hadn't been wearing lilac this morning. At that moment, she turned around, and Ron could say only one thing about her appearance.

"That's not mum!"

-oOoOoOoOo-

Xeno was exhausted. He'd walked through town, combing every inch of it for the two missing boys. He'd checked both rivers, the Wood, and the pond near the property line.

"I turn my back for one second, and they vanish! Oh Molly will throttle me," he wailed. It was precisely at that moment that his wife walked into the living room.

"Why would Molly throttle you? Did you stuff the children in a broom closet?" she pondered aloud.

"Har har," he replied sarcastically, "I went to go make breakfast with the girls, and when I came to call the boys for food, that's what I found," he said pointing to the note. She scanned it briefly.

"So they're in town," she concluded, confused as to why he was upset.

"I already checked there…and everywhere else." He noticed her face change from calm to concerned.

"Do you think they're hiding somewhere in the house?"

"Haven't checked yet," he replied, now hopeful it was just some elaborate prank.

"And the girls haven't vanished in the meantime?" she asked teasingly.

"No," he glared. "I just saw them in the yard, up to who knows what."

"Aw, come here love," she cooed, giving him a quick kiss. "Don't worry too much, I'm sure you'll find them," she said encouragingly before going off to the kitchen to make lunch. He decided he'd check each floor, just to be sure. Making his way up the stairs, he noticed a door on the second floor was slightly ajar. 'That must be where they've stowed themselves away,' he concluded, swinging the door wide open. What he saw made him go pale with fear.

The room was the one with a floo connection. The floo powder jar was open, green powder everywhere, and there were dying embers smouldering the fireplace. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Evie! Come quick! Oh Molly's gonna kill me now"

-oOoOoOoOo-

Albus was shocked. When the woman he believed was Mrs. Weasley turned around, he realised what a grave mistake he'd made. While she was of similar build and had the same shade of red hair, her face was that of a stranger. To make matters worse, Ron's obvious statement made her react in a fierce manner.

"Why you little brats!" she bellowed, scaring Albus immediately. "Thought you could jump over this fence here and skip school, huh? On the first day even!" Her angry remarks confused Albus. Skipping school?

"You get back right over this fence or I'll report you to the headmaster, you hear?" He looked at the fence they were next too and saw the large yard it opened up onto, but before he could give it a second thought, Ron was pulling him over the fence without any regret. "At least one of you has some common sense in ya! Lazy brats!" she yelled one final time before continuing on her way.

"She may not be my mum, but she sure has her temper," said Ron, still shaking after having climbed over the barrier. Albus gaged their surroundings, seeing the large stone yard, covered in strange lines, surrounded by a few trees, and dominated by one large manor-like structure. Inside he was afraid but his curiosity was getting the better of him for the moment. On the other hand, looking at Ron, he could see it wasn't the case for him.

"What are we going to do?" he asked fearfully. "We're lost, there's no wizards around, we don't even know how to get back, and I lost my favourite pound!" he moaned, tears threating to fall out of his eyes.

"We should try and act natural. Maybe there are some wizards here and we just need to find them," he said trying to calm the poor ginger down. At that moment a large blaring noise went off, and dozens of children came pouring out of the 'manor'. Ron and Albus stuck together, even as the yard filled to the brim.

"Where do you think they all come from?" asked Ron bluntly.

"Do you really want to know?" asked Albus, smiling wickedly to Ron's displeasure. Just then a girl ran up to them, a determined look in her eye. Her hair was tied back, she wore a bright shirt with short sleeves, shorts, and runners. For Albus, it was a very surprising sight.

"Kay, so we need a keeper and forward, and you blokes fit the bill," she announced, no regret or hesitation in her voice. "You play football right?"

"Football?" asked Albus.

"Is she barmy mate?" Ron whispered loudly. Seeing the hesitation, the girl grabbed them by the arms, and dragged them without batting an eyelash. She called out to a group nearby.

"Hey Paddie!" she called to another girl. "I gots us two more, so tell the other blokes were good!" The girl in mention turned around just as they arrived and Albus' jaw dropped. The other girl looked exactly like the one standing right next to them.

"Kay, we start in two…and don't call me that," she scowled.

"There's…two of you!?" exclaimed Ron.

"Of course," the second girl replied.

"I'm Parvati," continued the first.

"I'm Padma," retorted the second.

"And we're the Patil Twins," they chorused. For many years afterward, Albus would die of laughter whenever someone mentioned Ron's initial reaction.

Eyes looking upwards, hands extended to the sky, Ron cried,

"Twins! Why'd it have to be twins?"

A.N. Thank you for those who commented/ reviewed it is always greatly appreciated

If any issues, likes dislikes, etc, don't hesitate to review or PM

anyways 'hasta la proxima' (until next time)

Cepheus

Edit: Because I have a bad habit of forgetting footnotes

For those who don't know the London Underground well, the line in mention was the Northern Line (the black line on the map), on the Bank or City Branch (The branch on the right side of the map)

See if you can pick it out any of the movie, song, or book references scattered throughout the chapter ;D Chapter 8 will be up before Halloween and the Weasley twins are back, stay tuned an enjoy!

Cepheus


	8. School Days

**A.N. No I do not own the HP universe, that would belong to J.K. Rowling**

**Thank you for the comments, they are appreciated :D**

**Happy Halloween/Samhain/All Saints day to everyone who celebrates it. Hope yours aren't as eventful as Harry's!**

**If you're in Mexico, Feliz dia de los Muertos! Jo sé que no es hasta viernes, pero la proxima vez que añado a la historia, sera demaciado tarde.**

**If you're in the UK, Happy really early Guy Fawkes Day! Not sure how many of you celebrate it but enjoy nonetheless.**

**You're all in for a treat, this is the LONGEST chapter written to date (nearly 6000 words)**

**Now, on to the story!**

School Days

The moment Ron exclaimed his surprise, he was assaulted by laughter from all directions. From the Patils, from the group of children that had joined them, and even from Albus. Ron was sure his face was the same shade as his hair in that moment.

"I like this one," chuckled the girl who called herself Parvati as she punched him in the shoulder. "What's your name, mate?"

"Ron," he quickly replied, "and this is Albus," he said, pointing to his friend who waved back at them.

The girl named Padma scrutinized him for a few moments, before making up her mind some point Ron did not know, finding out when she finally spoke.

"He'll be the keeper," she declared, pointing to Ron, to the agreement of their nearby teammates. "So you Albus will be the third forward." He did not know anything about this Football, but Ron knew a keeper in Quidditch guarded the rings. He hoped it was something along those lines as the gaggle of people they called a 'team' made their way over to what they called the pitch. The 'pitch' was grassy field with faded lines, and two rectangular arches planted into the ground at either end. 'Those must be the goals the keeper guards,' thought Ron. However, it seemed that everyone only had eyes for the crowd standing at the other end of the field.

"Well, well. Looks like Patil and her clone managed to scrounge up a team after all," gloated one boy, tall and smug.

"Oh, can it King. We'll beat you into the dust," replied Padma, shining with confidence and Parvati backing her up. The other teammates let out a loud 'hear hear!" in support of their apparent captain.

"We'll see 'bout that Patil. Oi! Where's the ref?" bellowed King. A shorter boy came running, ready to give the teams what he called a minute for team conference.

"So here's the plan," declared Parvati as the group huddle around her, another thing he found strange in this unknown world. "Kieran, Albus, and Ethan, you're the forwards, so keep driving the ball to the other net. Nehru and Harrow will put up a fight to defend the net. Keep an eye out for their keeper too; Browning's a git when he wants to be."

"Susan, Aisha," continued her sister, "you're the midfielders, so King, Peakes, and Chander will be mainly your responsibility. Me and Parvati, we're defense, we'll back you up and watch out for Avila and Colman."

"And you Ron, are the keeper, so just make sure nothing gets passed you," finished Parvati boldly, "got it?" Ron wasn't sure he'd even kept up with half of what either of them was saying, but he nodded nonetheless. They broke their cluster, and assumed positions, Ron hesitantly stood near the net at the back, unsure of what to do. Noticing a small audience had gathered, he tried to push down the additional anxiety of being watched. It was a miracle he wasn't a shrivelling mess, since getting lost in a large city, being forced to compete in a sport he knew next to nothing about, and be expected to win was quite an unnerving experience to say the least.

A whistle blew in the distance, and Ron snapped back to reality, noticing the players springing into action. Right from the start, he noticed King took procession of the ball, gracefully manoeuvring around the midfielders and giving the Patils a run for their money. Surprisingly, Albus with the help of the other forwards was picking up quickly, and the three had managed wrestle the ball back from him, and where now facing who he believed were the rival team's defense. The audience was cheering loudly, chanting 'All hail the King!' It seemed very popular, and it slightly unsettled the ginger haired boy.

Sure enough, King and his minions managed to get the ball back from the forwards, and made a beeline for Ron. Even with the stalling tactics of the Patils, Susan and Aisha, King made it all the way to the net, and sent the ball soaring, Ron unable to stop it even as he lunged. The audience cheered louder, screaming 'All hail the King!' as he preened. Ron felt has confidence plummeting as the same mistake happened again…and again…and again. Soon enough the score was 4-1 and Ron was feeling miserable, not helped by King's mindless fans.

However, Ron wasn't sure exactly when, but the rest of the team, even Albus to Ron's surprise, began moving like a well-oiled machine. Moves were called between them, allowing Albus, Kieran and Aisha to score once each. Padma and Parvati even managed to turn the tables on King, and denied him any additional goals. Ron may not have been able to do much from where he was standing, but he cheered for his teammates anyway. The blaring bell rang again and the teams came to a standstill.

"I-it appears we-we have a tie!" shouted the referee hesitantly. Ron noticed King looked downright furious at news, but relented.

"A penalty shootout at final break will determine the game," the ref finished. Ron's hold team groaned, and he asked the nearest person, Susan, why that was so bad.

"Are you alright there? Penalty shoot out means that you, the keeper, has to face off against a player of their choice to stop the ball. Judging his ego, it _will _be King." As Ron followed the rest of the players into the 'school', the only thing running through his mind was his impending death by football.

-oOoOoOoOo-

Parvati noticed Albus and Ron slightly dazed as they were headed in, so she approached them quickly.

"Lost already huh?" she asked, prompting Albus to look up and give a sheepish grin. "Oh Shiva this is going to be a long year for you two. What year you in?"

"Um, we're nine?" offered Ron.

"So you're Fourth Years?" asked her sister, who'd appeared out of nowhere. Parvati always found it amusing for Padma to do that as it scared the daylights of poor souls like the two boys.

"Sure let's go with that," replied Albus quickly, still unsettled.

"Kay then come, line up with us," she insisted, prompting the boys to follow her. "So you guys just showed up at lunch, I take it?"

"Yeah, we we're kinda…late 'cause we got lost," explained Albus.

"Oh? Are you two brothers?" asked Padma.

"Yes," said Albus

"No," said Ron simultaneously, earning a glare from the other boy.

"We are, he's just a joker."

"But, you blokes are in the same year, and don't look alike," she noted, clearly wondering how much worse their lying could get.

"I'm adopted," replied the green-eyed boy.

"You are?" a loud jab to the stomach followed Ron's question. "I mean, yeah it's a tragic story really." Parvati shared a look with her sister as they both thought 'just play along with this mess'.

"I see," she replied as they were now making their way up the stairs and into school. "So then why were you late to class?"

"We came in all the way from D-" started Albus, only to be quickly interrupted by his 'brother'.

"The Burrow!" he declared only causing more rough housing between them.

"Borough? Like the Tube station in Southwark?" Ron nodded far too quickly for her or Padma to take seriously. These boys were clearly strange, and lining up in front of the classroom door, she remembered her mother's words about strange people.

'If anyone around you acts extremely strangely, keep your eyes and ears open.'

-oOoOoOoOo-

Xeno finally tracked the boy's floo path to King's Cross, and upon arriving, he could not believe his misfortune. He paced the Atrium of the station as he reached an impasse. While he could pass for a muggle in his current attire that still gave him no clue how to track the path the boys had taken. It seemed that his wandering had drawn some attention to himself because after a few minutes, a pair of men dressed in uniform were approaching him suspiciously.

"Sir, are you in need of assistance," asked the first. Xeno silently thanked his luck for their arrival.

"Yes, thank you! You see, my family passed through the station this morning, but at some point, the boys got separated from the rest of us and we've been trying to locate them." His concern clearly affected the men, because their faces clearly were soften by his anguish.

"Do you have a description of your boys?" offered the second, starting to go through what appeared to be procedure. He took a deep breath, and began listing off what he could.

"They're about nine, one has dark brown hair and green eyes, the other's a bit taller, red hair, covered with freckles and blue eyes." Both officers' eyes lit up with realisation.

"We saw those boys sneak out of broom closet!" exclaimed the first, "but before we could get them, they ran after someone. Went that way," he said, pointing to the Underground sign. Even Xeno, inexperienced in muggle affairs, knew that that sign meant you could go anywhere in London. His heart dropped into his stomach and he cursed. He'd been hoping that he wouldn't need to go that far, but with such a large search area, he would have to go to the ministry for help and he'd…have to notify Molly Weasley. He shuddered at the impeding reprimand.

"Thank you, gentlemen," he said nodding to the officers, "my day just got a whole lot harder."

-oOoOoOoOo-

As she went over the roll call, Madeleine Creevey was sure that something was off. In the morning, she'd only had twenty-two students, but that was clearly no longer the case. Glancing around, she quickly spotted the additions. In the back corner, the two boys were whispering amongst themselves, making a very poor attempt to be inconspicuous. 'So I have another pair of trouble makers,' she sighed internally. 'Looks like this will be a long four months for me.'

"Excuse me, you two. In the back," she called. Their heads bobbed up immediately, their eyes full of fear as though they'd been caught doing something wrong. They hesitantly got up and shuffled their way to the front, the rest of the class watching in silence and curiosity.

"Both of you are not on the class list, so I'd like to get your names, just to make sure the error can be corrected," she explained when they made it to her desk. The dark haired boy began explaining hesitantly.

"Um, you see Mrs.…"

"Creevey,"

"Mrs. Creevey," he began, "I think there's been a mistake. You see Ron here's a wizard, and I've lost my memory and-"

"Stop. You may be all those things, and I may be the seventh Time Lord, but that does not excuse you from telling me poorly crafted lies to hide a mistake," she said in a firm tone. While she'd heard tall tales before, this was the tallest of them all. 'Wizards, really?' She glanced around the class seeing most were giggling and the Patil sisters were sharing a look that reminded her of her youngest children when they wanted to terrorize Colin or Dennis.

"Now, I'm letting you off with a warning today, but if I hear of this again, it'll be straight to the Headmaster's office for both of you, understand?" The boy with red hair nodded, with absolute certainty while the other agreed reluctantly. "Good. Now, I still need your names so we can edit the roll call."

"My name is Albus Lovegood," began the boy who'd 'explained' the situation.

"And mine's Ron Weasley," explained the second. As she wrote the names down, asking them for clarification on spelling, she noticed that the second name seemed familiar.

'Wasn't that one of Churchill's colleagues from work?' she wondered, stowing the thought away so she could ask her husband in the evening. With the corrections made, she sent the boys back to their desk, and began the afternoon's lessons. While most of the students seemed to understand, she noticed a handful of them were really struggling with the work, among them her two new troublemakers. Albus eventually did catch on as the lesson progressed, but Ron seemed to be completely hopeless. Even David King grasped the concept faster, and from what she could tell he wasn't the brightest bulb. It was a miracle this boy even made it to fourth year and she wondered if her time as a substitute teacher would be enough to get him up to speed.

Time marched on and soon enough, the last break was fast approaching, and the children were once again restless. She put a strong effort to keeping them under control and successfully held them off until the bell finally rang, when the students poured out of the room in a torrent. Finally alone, she sighed aloud.

"Looks like I have my work cut out for me," she declared, preparing herself for what the next four months could bring her.

-oOoOoOoOo-

Albus was relieved to be out of that classroom. He'd been able to keep a handle on his emotions up until they'd been publically reprimanded by the teacher. He felt like he shouldn't have tried to confess the truth in front of the class, but there was nothing else he could think of. Now that they were back in the yard, he could breathe easy again. Unfortunately, Ron didn't have that luxury.

"I'm going to die, Al. Really I am!" he moaned. "If it's not these numbers she keeps babbling about, then it's my impending doom by that bloody football."

"Just relax," reasoned Albus, just as Parvati came running up to them.

"So this is it. Ron, you just need to stop one ball. I don't care how you do it, just do it." They walked back to the nets and sure enough, King and his sycophants were already there. He was smirking condescendingly as Albus and the rest of the team approached, ready to settle the score.

"So you twits actually came back," jeered King. "And here I thought I would be able to win without having to lift a finger. Oh well, it's just a short delay. When I win, the pitch is my territory, and you'll go beg for me to even consider letting you use it." Albus found the gloating distasteful and infuriating. He glanced over to Ron, who was sweating buckets, as the referee came running to start the shootout. Since their team scored the last goal, they got to kick off first. To Albus and the whole team's relief, Aisha executed it flawlessly, scoring them a point with ease. It was all up to Ron now. Albus never realised a sport could be this intense, but nevertheless, his heart was fluttering in his chest as King swaggered up to the ball. Ron was shaking and the crowd continued to chant their wretched chant hailing King, all eyes on him.

"Get ready to die Weasley," he taunted, as he ran up and kicked the ball.

Everything moved in slow motion. Albus saw Ron flinch, jumping straight into the ball path, as it pummeled him in the gut. He was sent flying backwards into the net as everyone watched, gobsmacked.

"No goal!" cried the referee. His voice was drowned out by the team's cheering as they ran to pick up Ron. No longer was the crowd cheering for King, but mindlessly chanted "Weasley!" much to the boy's surprise as he recovered from catching the ball with his stomach. As they hoisted him into the air, Albus thought to give King a taste of his own medicine. Yelling at the top of his lungs, Albus chanted,

"WEASLEY IS _OUR_ KING!" The trick worked and the crowd quickly shifted their cheer, making the cocky boy's defeat much more poignant.

"Weasley is our King! Weasley is our King! He didn't let the football in, Weasley is our King!" Albus saw his friend grinning from ear to ear, laughing at the sheer strangeness of the day and his victory. Even though they were lost in an unknown place, full of fear, and with no certain way of getting home, in that moment Albus would not have traded that moment for anything in the world.

-oOoOoOoOo-

Evanna pulled her head out of the fireplace, surprised that Molly took it as well as she did.

"At least her face was only pink this time," she mused aloud. "Last time something bad happened, it was puce!" She'd long ignored the strange intermittent gusts of wind coming from the yard, but she knew that if Molly saw what the girls were doing, it would certainly not help brighten mood. She went to the back door, and saw the two girls flat on the ground, laughing and exhausted.

"Kay so refining that is definitely a must," reasoned Ginny.

"I'll keep note of that," chuckled Luna holding a finger up. "So what's next on the list?"

"Making sure Molly Weasley doesn't catch you," stated Evanna, making her presence known. The girls were startled, but turned to her quickly.

"Mother! What a surprise. How long were you standing there?" asked Luna nervously.

"Enough to know that you aren't doing anything dangerous." They relaxed when she indirectly approved of their experimenting. "Ginny's mother, on the other hand, might beg to differ."

"Is she on her way here now?" wondered the red haired girl.

"WHERE ARE THEY!?" bellowed a voice from within the Lovegood home. Evanna gave the girl a knowing look.

"Does that answer your question? Come, we needn't keep her waiting," gesturing to the girls to follow her as they went to meet her infuriated guest.

-oOoOoOoOo-

After their victory in football, the day flew by for Padma. Ever since Albus and Ron had shown up, her mind had been whirring, busy trying to find out what they were hiding. She and her sister picked up they were lying almost immediately, but they went along with it to get more clues. When Albus announced they were wizards in front of the whole class, she thought they were either very bold or very stupid. Glancing over to her sister, it was clear she believed that it was the former, while she was inclined to the latter. As the clock ticked toward three, she and Parvati conspired to bring them home, since it became more apparent that they were lost and needed help. The key was keeping them in the dark to the sisters' true nature.

"You think mum will be mad?" whispered Parvati.

"No I'm sure she'll be upset, but that's about it. Fifty pence she says 'Vishnu preserve me'."

"Oh it's on. One pound if she invokes Shiva in some way,"

"You know this is kind of like that time in the Nāga town," smirked Parvati.

"You mean with Dad and the wristwatch?"

"The very same."

"Don't even! There was so much honey in our hair, we had to shave our heads," they laughed, forgetting where they were.

"Misses Patil! This is a classroom, not a schoolyard. I know you're excited for the end of the day, but please do not interrupt the class." The teacher was visibly unamused.

"Sorry Mrs. Creevey," apologised Padma.

"Yeah sorry," mumbled her sister as Mrs. Creevey continued to teach, leaving them to silently giggle over humorous stories. She glanced back to Albus and Ron, seeing they were just as restless as they were, eager for the final bell to ring. Sure enough, when the bell finally rang, and Padma bound toward the two boys, stopping right in front of their desks.

"You want to come over to our house?" she asked bluntly. The two boys looked completely shocked at the proposition, and started whispering furiously. Parvati joined her, and reminded Padma aloud that there was leftover sweets from the dinner party earlier this week. That was the key to convincing Ron who begged his friend until he relented.

"You're evil you know," scowled Albus.

"Oh we try," replied Padma teasingly.

"You just had to mention sugar around Ron. He's an addict I swear."

"Hey! Am not," said Ron defiantly. Padma couldn't help but laugh.

"Par, I think you found a kindred spirit," she joked as her sister stuck her tongue out at her. Leaving the school, they made their way out of the school and down Gaza Street, she explained how much of a pain it was to walk the long way from their house at Sharsted and Harmsworth, with some colourful commentary from Parvati.

"I remember this!" exclaimed Ron, "This is where-I mean those are the trees you see from the school yard." Padma noted the correction, along with the quick glare from Albus.

"Well, here we are!" exclaimed Parvati, leaving Ron and Albus gawking at the simple two story townhouse.

"There's so many of them," breathed Ron.

"So many what?" asked Parvati coyly.

"Houses!"

"But isn't it like that in Southwark?"

"Where?" Padma saw Albus palm his forehead.

"The place you live," continued Padma, hoping Ron would spill more.

"I said that was the Burrow."

"Yeah, he did," continued Albus.

"Fine, fine. Let's get inside before nightfall," she said, ushering the boys through the door with Parvati's help. They were instantly assaulted by a voice they thought wouldn't be home this early.

"Parvati? Padma?" Parvati cursed and Padma frowned.

"Wasn't she supposed to be at work?" she asked, to which Parvati could only shrug, leaving their friends very confused. The voice grew louder as their mother inevitably made her way to the house's foyer.

"I thought I'd come home early so my daug- Shiva have mercy! Girls, I told you there no strange boys are allowed in this house!" Padma cursed her luck as her sister flashed her a smug look before trying to explain the situation.

"Mumi, you told us to look out for people acting strangely," she defended. Ron seemed to be cowering behind Albus as their mother continued her diatribe.

"That doesn't mean bring them home, while no one's here!"

"But _you _are here, mumi," replied Parvati.

"That isn't the point." Their mother was firmly set, and there was only one way to break the stalemate. The sisters shared a look, and braced themselves.

"Their wizards mum."

-oOoOoOoOo-

Sita Patil decided to surprise her daughters that day by showing up early and cooking them a tasty masala. While she missed the days she of her youth where she would have called the family's house elf to do that for her, she prided herself in her cooking. What she didn't expect was that when her daughters came in the door, they'd have two wizards for company. It was obvious to her that the boys hadn't known her daughters knew their secret, as their faces where a mix of surprise and fear. She pinched the bridge of her nose at that revelation.

"Vishnu preserve me," she sighed, hearing a whispered '_yes' _in the pause. "You told me there were no wizards at your school."

"Um, Mrs. Patil," began the green-eyed boy softly.

"Dear, you'll have to speak louder if you want me to hear you," she said politely, hoping she hadn't scared him more so than he already was.

"Sorry. We're actually not from around here. We got lost following someone we thought was Ron's mother," he explained, pointing to his taller friend who gave her a faint wave.

"However, we eventually realized it wasn't her, and ended up in the school yard," continued the boy as he explained the day's events one by one, until he finished with a polite bow introducing himself as Albus Eamon Lovegood. His friend who she figured was Ron, offered his hand and introduced himself likewise. Her daughters looked on the whole time with an air of amusement, and satisfied curiosity.

"So, my daughter's dragged you here." She chuckled a bit, now able to look at the spectacle in hindsight. "Forgive them, they have the curiosity to kill a dozen cats."

"Oh mother, you exaggerate too much," said Parvati, waving her hand dismissively.

"Oh I know my daughter's better than that. An incident involving Nāgas and honey back home comes to mind," she said seeing the sheepish grins on the girl's faces.

"Back home?" asked the boys, full of the same curiosity her daughters had on a regular basis. If these boys were kindred spirits to her daughters, she'd need more than Vishnu to preserve her.

"My husband and I are from the Magical Kingdom of Baroda," she replied, "where Nāgas live alongside humans. Leave it to my daughters to botch that in under five minutes." Everyone started laughing at the ridiculous story. Collecting herself, she addressed the boys more seriously this time.

"I trust that you need to get home now, no?" they both nodded their heads. "Unfortunately, this house does, not have a Floo connection, which reminds me, I need to harass Darshan to go do that. Where was I? Oh yes, so boys in order to get you home, we need to get to the Ministry of Magic."

"To Charing Cross we go!" proudly announced the girls, as they started pulling Albus and Ron out the door.

"Quick question, how are we getting there?" inquired Ron.

"Isn't it obvious?" she replied. "By taking the Underground." The boys collectively groaned before replying.

"Not again!"

-oOoOoOoOo-

Xeno could not believe his luck. The ministry telephone both lay scattered across the sidewalk, broken glass everywhere, its metal frame twisted into a bizarre contortion that in other circumstances one could call modern art.

"Stupid automobiles," he muttered as the police told him about the drunk driver, who slammed into it. 'Who the hell drinks at three in the afternoon?' he thought. Unable to get into the ministry by the guest entrance, he elected to sit down and wait for the maintenance employees to come and fix it. When they eventually did show up, they told him it would be done in at least an hour.

Sighing in frustration, he sat back down, and wondered how angry Molly would be. He knew that Albus was not getting away with this unpunished, and if Molly allowed him, neither would Ron. Running around London was not the way he'd planned to spend his free day, and the sarcasm he was employing was the only thing keeping the ever-growing pool of dread in his stomach from getting the best of him. He was so immersed in his thoughts that he failed to notice the crowd of children running toward him. It was not until his son crashed into him, nearly knocking him over that he realized what was going on.

"Mr. Lovegood I presume?" He looked to the source of the voice and saw an Indian woman in a muggle business suit, carrying herself confidently. His son and friend were busy chatting away with two girls who he assumed were her daughters.

"Yes, that would be me," he said, still shocked.

"Mrs. Sita Patil, a pleasure to meet you." Xeno immediately went on the offensive, curious to know where the boys had been.

"How did my son and his friend come to be in your care?"

"According to them, they took the Floo network to King's Cross, mistook some woman to be Ron's mother, chased her all the way to Kennington, and somehow ended up attending half a day of mundane school."

"You're a witch?" he asked, noticing she'd employed the standard word for non-magical people outside of Britain.

"Yeah, she is dad!" exclaimed Albus, whose bright attitude dimmed when he saw the look in his father's eye.

"My husband is a healer, but took a post as a doctor at a high-end Hospital here in London," she exclaimed, interrupted by the intermittent laughter of the four children.

"I see. And you like it here?"

"Well, your ministry's oppressive, it's more comfortable in the mundane world, and I enjoy my job. At least I got my subscription of 'The Quibbler' transferred here." The last comment surprised him the most.

"You read to the Quibbler?"

"My husband and I are avid readers of each edition. My September copy came in this morning." He hesitated before replying softly.

"I'm the editor you know."

"Really? Pleasure to meet you then. Darshan will be over the moon when I tell him." Xeno chuckled a bit before remembering that the boys were in trouble.

"We'll write. Sound good?" said one of the daughters.

"Hey Ron, looks like you'll have to brush up on your writing skills too," replied Albus, nudging his friend in the ribs while Ron punched Albus in the shoulder.

"Boys." They turned toward him, all excitement they'd exhibited moments before having fled. "It's time to go now. Say good bye to your friends and Mrs. Patil." They bid their reluctant farewells, before turning to depart.

"We expect to hear from all of you soon," stated the woman, before finally leaving to return home. As they faded into the crowd, Xeno turned to the boys and showed them all the displeasure he was feeling on his face. The two children bowed their heads in near silence, becoming very meek.

"Do you have anything to say for yourselves?" A beat of silence passed.

"No," they mumbled in unison.

"What you did today was extremely dangerous. Even if you'd taken one of the French Portkeys I keep would I be so mad, because at least if you were in danger, you'd be taken back home." It took all his effort to keep from yelling at them. "You decided to go off by yourselves, lying about where you were going, and with no safety precautions."

"I'm sorry I have shamed you father," replied Albus weakly. 'Here we go again,' he thought.

"You have not shamed me Al. You made me your mother and Molly very upset, and same goes to you Ron." The other boy's eyes darted as he was put on the spot. Xeno continued in the same serious tone, to drive the point home. "We're upset that you didn't let us know what you wanted to do, and betrayed our trust." Seeing the boys were visibly wracked with guilt, he knew he had to finish this public reprimand soon.

"I love you Al, and I care deeply for you too Ron. And because I love you, I need to punish you so that you learn your lesson. Al, you won't have access to a quidditch broom until October." His son looked shocked but he continued, "And both of you, with the permission of your mum Ron, will be helping me clean all of the Quibbler's Printing Machinery." The sober looks in their eyes told him everything.

"Okay," they both replied softly, Ron being very close to tears. Xeno gently took them both by the hand, and led them away from the busy Whitehall Road. Away from the public eye, he hugged both of them tightly.

"Well, we need to go home now, and face the music," he said with a hint of amusement in his tone. After telling them they'd be using side-along apparition, they grasped his hands again, tighter than last time, anticipating the rush. With a soft pop, they left London behind, and reappeared in the Lovegoods' living room. The brief moment of relief was shattered by angry yelling.

"RONALD BILLIUS WEASLEY! YOU ARE IN _SO _MUCH TROUBLE, YOU WILL THINK THE LOVEGOOD'S PUNISHMENT IS MERCIFUL!" Xeno saw the boy visibly shrink at the rage of the fiery matriarch. "Honestly, Ronald! Of all the things you could've done to ruin my day! It couldn't get worse than this!" Xeno only hoped for the boy's sake that she was right.

-oOoOoOoOo-

As the sun had set behind Hogwarts, Fred and George Weasley were amazed. Never in their wildest dreams would they have imagined Hogwarts to be this amazing. The people they'd met on the train were amazing, even those weird souls who professed they wanted to go to Slytherin.

"So Freddie?"

"Yeah Georgie?"

"Do ya think we'll be in Gryffindor?" The other boy paused for a moment.

"That's where everyone wants us to go. But-" before Fred was able to finish that sentence, a stern woman in crimson robes appeared in front of the group of First Years.

"Good evening." She carried herself with a no-nonsense attitude. "My name is Professor McGonagall and I am the Deputy-Headmistress of Hogwarts. Each one of you here tonight will be sorted into one of Hogwarts' four houses, each with their own illustrious past. Gryffindor for the brave, Hufflepuff for the loyal, Ravenclaw for the wise, and Slytherin for the cunning." At that moment an idea popped into George's head.

"Cunning, eh? Isn't that what Albus called us?" he whispered.

"Aye he did, but isn't Slytherin the unpopular house?" They looked at each other, and grinned devilishly.

"Looks like we have our work cut out for us Georgie."

"Indeed we do, Freddie. A nobler goal one could not find." In their conspiring, they failed to notice their gradual entrance into the Great Hall, nor the elaborate song. Their minds were to busy spinning elaborate plans on how they would accomplish their predetermined goal. By the time McGonagall called 'Fred Weasley," they had only one thing on their minds.

"Hogwarts better be ready for the greatest prank in history."

A.N.- Thank you to koryandrs and redstickbonbon for commenting, as mentioned above its always appreciated

Now before people start killing me for the twins sorting, fear not their is method to their (and my madness). No they will not be evil, I love them to much to do that to them. It will actually be going the other way around, but many moons shall pass to acheive it. Until then the twins will prank on. If anyone has any additional concerns PM me or review, either is fine

The name Sita for the Patils' mother is actually drawn from the story "Harry Crow" by robst. The name just fit perfectly and I couldn't bring my self to give her a different one. If your interested read that story, its actually quite interesting (but over 500000 words so brace yourselves).

As always, reviews, signed critiques, and PMs are always welcome.

Enjoy,

Cepheus


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